Tonight's NBA draft offers the angsty franchise the following, according to the LA Times.
Phil Jackson left Friday for his lakeside home in Montana, where he will be rooted for two weeks. By the time he returns, the Laker roster will have received an infusion of youth from tonight's draft.
When and whether potential becomes prowess are always the questions on draft day, but the Lakers have three of the first 39 picks, their most concentrated number of selections since 1979. They can go a variety of directions with their No. 10 overall pick, and also hold Nos. 37 and 39, the seventh and ninth picks of the second round.(snip) Jackson, rehired two weeks ago by a franchise that cast him adrift a year ago, believes the Lakers need to get stronger and more physical. He rarely budgets playing time for rookies, but a post player is probably the direction the Lakers will turn in a first round that is vastly unpredictable. The Portland Trail Blazers' No. 3 pick is expected to go to the highest bidder, causing a trickle-down effect from there.
Assuming the Lakers stay put and go big, Fran Vazquez is an aggressive 6-foot-10 power forward from Spain who doesn't mind contact and tries to dunk almost every time in the post, if only to avoid using his erratic outside shot. At 22, he would be one of the oldest lottery picks.
Connecticut forward Charlie Villanueva, brought in on the final day of Laker workouts Friday, is a 6-9 sophomore with good passing skills and a strong basketball IQ, but he is sometimes in cruise control and plays in spurts. He led the Huskies with 13.6 points and was second with 8.3 rebounds.
It is unlikely the Lakers would draft a high school player, Kupchak said, but there could be two waiting when their turn comes: 6-11 center Andrew Bynum of Metuchen, N.J., and 6-6 small forward Martell Webster of Seattle.
If the Lakers go for a point guard, Chris Paul of Wake Forest and Williams are top-five picks, leaving North Carolina junior Raymond Felton, Georgia Tech junior Jarrett Jack and Roko Ukic of Croatia as other first-round possibilities.
Felton is fast but undersized at 5 feet 11 1/2 , and Ukic and Jack are pegged for later in the first round. Felton led the Atlantic Coast Conference in two categories, averaging 6.9 assists and shooting 44% from three-point range.
The Lakers' later picks are difficult to project given the historical fluidity of the second round, but some possibilities are Washington guard Nate Robinson, short and swift in the mold of Tyronn Lue, and Kentucky center Randolph Morris, a project who averaged 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds as a freshman.
Regardless, the Lakers' roster and salary cap problems do not augur a successful season in the coming year.