Updated: Lakers stand pat, let the trade deadline pass. Kupchak likes his team.
It's official.
The Lakers didn't make any moves before Thursday's trade deadline.
After finding no palatable deals to be made, the Lakers hope the league's largest payroll ($91 million) will be strong enough to deliver a third consecutive championship.
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said the team was not close to doing anything "of significance" before the trade deadline.
"I do like the roster as it is and they certainly deserve a chance to defend their title," Kupchak said Thursday afternoon.
The Lakers have until next Tuesday to add a veteran waived by another team, though it doesn't appear there will be many players getting cut over the next few days.
"We are going to pay attention [to any waived players]," Kupchak said. "Typically, the guys that get waived are veterans on bad teams in the last year of a deal and they go their general manager and beg to be released."
The Lakers' next game is a designated home contest Friday against the new look Clippers, who traded Baron Davis to Cleveland for Mo Williams.
-Mike Bresnahan
Photo: Lakers guard Shannon Brown, center, gets a hug from Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom, in the second half of their game against the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday. Lakers won 104-80. Credit: AP Photo/Alex Gallardo.
Boston shot a missile at the Lakers, by sending Perkins to OKC, I'm very worried about the Lakers chances against them in the play-offs, OKC is already pretty good, now there even better, hopefully this trade will bite boston in the but. Perkins was such big part of their team. Mean while the Lakers GM does nothing to tweak the offense, which is typical. Sometime I think the Lakers GM should be fired, sure wish West was the Lakers GM again.
Posted by: Tim James | February 25, 2011 at 04:07 PM
Luke Walton, sucks, sometimes I think Phil Jackson deliberately puts Luke Walton in to concede the game, especially when you have such great players like E Banks and Character, Luke Walton maybe great guy, but a he's lousy player, I sure hope Luke Walton's game gets better. Sometimes he's a good passer, turn overs and thing like trying to take the ball to the rim with Amare Stoudemire defending the post, upsets me.
Posted by: Tim James | February 25, 2011 at 04:21 PM