I don't trust authority either. How do we know that the front office didn't try and help him? Would seem to be against logic given the times we've helped people in the past. Turiaf for example. If he has a behavioral health issue and isn't following his physician's advice (medication etc.) then he's most definitely a risk. It's always been assumed his issue is with drugs etc. I've never seen that confirmed.
We don't know. There has been much speculation about the situation. I think Upshaw is such a talent he's worth investing more resources in. And that's in addition to the fact that he's a human and as such is valuable.
I'm not hoping against him, just saying if what Pincus says is true then I understand why he's unsigned. It's also telling that despite having no contract from us, no one else is rushing to sign him either.
Dimitrius Underwood comes to mind. I didn't see that he was anything special as far as "talent" goes. He has potential but he also has some significant off the court issues. I don't separate the two and the total package apparently is not worth the risk.
We have a wonder resource for Robert; it's called the D-League. At this point, I wouldn't even give him any partial guarantees in any contract I offer to him currently. As I've said and I know like I sound like a broken record, J. Brown went the same route, was rewarded with a 10 day contract and ultimately a non-guaranteed roster with a camp invite this summer. He'll probably make the team this year. Upshaw needs to go the same route. If he proves, he's worth the investment, give him a 10 day contract, and let him prove it.
Teams have gambled on question mark guys before. With Upshaw's raw talent it really makes you wonder why people don't want to get near this guy (why haven't other teams tried to sign him?).
What pisses me off the most if this guy was so stupid, with his decent "potential" for being in the NBA and making some good money and resurrecting his twice failed basketball career from college programs, and in NBA front office "minds", as to have wrecked his Lakers career already ....... is that, and I'm not going to pull punches here ..... I'll have to redo my signature.
Yeah!!! What's up with that, emplay? Remember your damn roots! Don't be going TMZ on everyone to the detriment of Lakers fans everywhere.
my guess is that's a behavioral health issue. The reason we don't hear about it is because there is a level of confidentiality surrounding health related issues and employment. That's my guess and if it's an untreated condition it can be a serious issue.
Whatever. He has his problems but now they affect me. I will still have to redo the signature if the Lakers are done with him.
Get him to loose some weight and let play with the defenders for a bit to get his game tight. I think he can be good for the Lakers in a year or two. If we developed Bynum who only had two years of high school experience we can definitely develop Upshaw.
Bynum wasn't about mental maturity, which seems to be the issue with Upshaw. At this point, I want to move on and away from this situation. Too much attention to this will lead to unnecessary distractions that will hamper the development of the team as a whole and take focus away from real talent out there ready to play. If he wants to get right in the D-League, by all means. But he is certainly not an NBA level player mentally and in-condition at this point.
He must have really been stupid, considering the circumstances of where he is in NBA GMs' perception. Number 1, with multiple months since kicked out of 2nd college program ....... clearly in less than "good" shape in summer league. WTF with that? What has he been doing, other than getting with his psych counselors? His a** should have been in the gym, in the weight room, on a track, sand dune ..... whatever. Number 2, with minimally hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake for him, and multi-millions of dollars for him in the future if his s*** gets together .... how does he screw up yet again knowing what the Los Angeles Lakers expected from him when they gave him this chance?? He should ALSO at this point know I am about to give up on him. From "Fix Upshaw" in my signature to poof..... gonzo. Hate to threaten him with that but seems like last resort at this point.
This problem might have nothing to do with Drugs or alcohol but rather commitment in getting in shape and showing his talent, other than setting screens really well he didn't really show his blocking savant talent during summer league. Also if course mitch sees him first hand during practice and sees if he is good enough.
My thing is, even if the Lakers don't think he'll be great, he can absolutely be better than Sacre. Sacre does nothing exceptionally well, at least Upshaw blocks shots. Sacre is 6 fouls. Upshaw is 6 fouls who blocks and changes shots. I'll have to trust that the Lakers know or see something we don't here off the court, because on it, Upshaw is a worthwhile project over Sacre who has reached his max potential.
Not surprisi He's 20 years old, LTL. He's a huge risk. There's a reason why no other team drafted him. He's very talented. Nevertheless, at some point in Robert's life, he's going to have to be accountable to himself; we could offer every resource we have available, but at the end of the day, it's Robert decisions that are going to have him living up to his potential earning an NBA paycheck or a life that doesn't come close to that resulting in a dangerous road he's going towards right now. I'm wishing and rooting for the best for Robert. Trust me, I am. I'm still holding out hope we can somehow make this work w/him...
