| 30 Teams, 30 Days: L.A. Lakers Draft Preview (19th) Authored by J.T. Magee - June 20, 2007 - 10:43 pm
2006-2007 Finish: 42-40
Draft Picks: 19th, 40th, 48th
What they do well
The Lakers have a lot of talent for a middle-of-the-pack team. Lamar Odom continued to surprise despite injury woes and his infant’s passing. He was the main reason, not Kobe, that the Lakers had a chance at the second round. Bryant will always take a team to the playoffs, but he needs a second star to help carry the burden. Odom stepped up and helped Los Angeles out by playing out of position.
Although the timing of the move was terrible, Phil Jackson showed a lot of faith in Jordan Farmar by letting him start against Steve Nash in the playoffs. Farmar could have used a little more seasoning in the regular season, but played well despite coming into that playoff series with little hope of success. He showed a lot of potential and poise as a floor general and is the main reason why Los Angeles wants to bring in a journeyman point guard rather than a full-blown starter.
The NBA is on the star system and the Lakers still have the biggest one in the entire league. Kobe Bryant clearly remains the best player in the game and their entire team is built to support him. Or so they think.
Where do they need improvement?
Umm… where don’t they need improvement? A bubble team in the playoffs is on one of two roads: on the way up as an up & coming squad, or on the way down. The Lakers have not built their team around Kobe, but have built players that fit certain roles. Bryant needs a lot of defenders and guys that can hit open jump shots.
Andrew Bynum, who Bryant harshly criticizes, is just 19 years old. He’s not the win-now center that Bryant needs. It’s not Bynum’s fault. In Kobe’s eyes, they’re on the way down. For everyone’s sake, they need to trade him so in four years, they can be that up & coming team.
Who they should target?
- Daequan Cook, Ohio State:
Cook is young and a lot of potential. If they take a kid like Cook, it’s because they are trying to move on, thinking of life without Bryant. He’s very talented and has a lot of range on his jump shot, but he, like Bynum, is a couple of years away from making a significant impact. He won’t be depended on immediately, but isn’t the draft for the future?
- Rudy Fernandez, DKV Joventut:
He moves very well off the ball and can shoot it from 3-point range. He’s athletic and is the go-to guy on DKV Joventut. He wouldn’t be a go-to guy next to Bryant, but he would be someone who can come in right now and contribute. It would let Bryant know that they are willing to try and build around him and he would be one of the best choices considering who would be left on the board.
- Josh McRoberts, Duke:
McRoberts is a very athletic player who fell off a little bit this past season at Duke. Many are turned off by his selflessness, but it would be a nice compliment next to Bryant and Odom. He would make the Lakers very big in the frontcourt and a little deeper. He needs to fine-tune his game, but his ability to pass and eye for the glass is needed on a Lakers team that struggles with rebounding.
Picks since 2000
2006
Jordan Farmar, 26th
2005
Andrew Bynum, 10th
Ronny Turiaf, 37th
Von Wafer, 39th
2004
Sasha Vujacic, 27th
Marcus Douhit, 57th
2003
Brian Cook, 24th
2002
Chris Jeffries, 27th (traded to Toronto)
2001
None
2000
Mark Madsen, 29th |
