You are right about having some good fortune but Mitch gets dumped over when things go bad whether his fault or not so giving him some props when things are looking good only seems right. Completely agree about Sacre.
I think this is the first summer where Mitch had a legit mutiny on his hands with some fans (me included). Most of the time it's Jim Buss who gets bashed on. I think there's been a pretty good contingent both ways this summer of people fed up with the Lakers' GM strategy and with people supportive of Mitch. I don't know that either side needs support at this point. I do give Mitch props for recovering well after the media s***storm that was Aldridge's meeting. He and the Lakers were relentlessly crushed (albeit a little deservedly) and he recovered well and built a decent team. It's weird the media hasn't said anything about the decent team he built, but was quick to destroy him earlier.
I'm sure there's someone on Lakers staff tasked with checking out the observational college picks on LB from members and you were all over this way before them Props!
He's a project. A good project, though. He needs to go the way of J. Brown, though. Send him a training camp invite, let him play in some preseason games, then send him to the D-league to develop. In the D-league, he'll keep in shape, stay focused, and continue getting better, then bring him up.
If you pigeon hole a guy as a defensive specialist and block artist, then he'll want recognition as a go to scorer and all around player when he isn't. Like Dwight Howard. And then when he gets upset when the world doesn't recognize his immense talents and all that he can be, he'll go all Deandre Jordan on you and screw up your franchise. Let's just develop the guy. It's a little early for nicknames besides undrafted and unproven.
Better Business Bureau had it first. then there is always Big Butt and Boobs..... But he ain't Oliver Miller
Yeah I'm just excited we locked him up. People are so focused on his red flags, but honestly he's really raw on both ends of the floor and I really can't see him contributing this year. At least not over Hibbert and Black. Hopefully he'll develop both mentally and physically in the D-League.
DID NOT SUCK when Bob bumped his guy backward from the left side of the key last night, and then pivoted on him and knocked down that midrange J with good form and good elevation on the jump. No flat footed big man set shot.
I'm glad to see that the Lakers are giving this young man a shot to better his life. Here's to him taking advantage of it.
It's LA. Things are going to come flying at him, it comes with the territory. I hope he can keep his head on straight and focus on basketball. I don't see a high ceiling for him, but I do see a very good role player ceiling for him to be a solid anchor in the paint.
Upshaw looked rusty and out of shape, but showed flashes of brilliance. He will get no playing time this season with Hibbert and what appears to be the emergence of Tarik Black. Unless one of them goes down, or Randle goes down and Black slides over to the 4. But that's OK. LEt him get some reps in the D-League. We got him for two years. Then we'll have his early bird rights. He could end up being a nice center for us. But truth be told, we may be looking at a lot of small ball with Black/Randle/Kobe/Clarkson/Russell. Black looked great.
Word is a two year deal. First year partially guaranteed. Second year unguaranteed. Not sure if he's inked it yet.
Yeah clearly to me we haven't cut ties with Sacre yet because Upshaw is a long ways away from being ready. We might keep Sacre around just for depth until Upshaw is ready to go. We're in no rush. Hibbert and Black can hold down the fort inside for most of the season barring injury and Sacre will provide some usefulness there.
He showed some skills, moved well on D, for brief stretches. If, once he gets in basketball shape he'll be a monster. Glad they signed him, low risk, high reward for roster spot 14
He definitely seems like the odd man out. I mean we've already got three deep at that position, maybe four if you count Tarik. I'd prefer to give any of his minutes to Nance Jr. We might have ruined his career by trying to force him to play SF.
Watching him play last night he reminds me of bynum when he came in albeit with more defensive polish But i compare him to bynum for the fact that he's out of shape and needs to work on his conditioning. Bynum developed his post game and late in his laker career embraced his role of being the defensive presence we needed in the paint but even at that point i dont think he had the same reaction as upshaw. Last night upshaw was in control of his body, on the defensive end he went straight up and down and he wasnt called for a foul. When he was going at it with towns he wasnt as controlled on his way up but still got the best of towns repeatedly. That bodes well for him goimg forward Per twitter Supposedly he inked it following the game
