Lakers GM on wins target: 'It's gotta be more than 17'

The Los Angeles Lakers have made false prophecy and unrealistic expectations a habit the past few offseasons, but after a 17-65 campaign that registered as the worst in the franchise's proud history, their general manager is setting the bar a bit lower than usual.

"It's gotta be more than 17 (wins)," Mitch Kupchak told reporters of his goals for the team in 2016-17. Then, he took that bold ambition a step further: "It can't be a game or two more."

At least 20 wins, then.

These are lean times in Lakerland, so expecting much more may be a setup for disappointment. The past two seasons have been the two worst in Lakers history, and the past three have been the three worst since the team moved to Los Angeles in 1960. It's the first time they've missed the playoffs three years in a row, and there's little hope of avoiding running that streak to four.

The silver lining in all this is that the Lakers have been so bad, they haven't had to surrender their first-round pick (top-five protected in 2015, top-three protected this past draft) to the Philadelphia 76ers, allowing them to build a potential foundation for the future with No. 2 overall picks D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram.

Both Kobe Bryant and Byron Scott are gone, which means the Lakers are rid of the two biggest impediments to the development of their youth movement. It may be a ways off, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Until they emerge, managing expectations is probably a wise approach.