Lakers: NBA Draft

NBA Draft: Answer Man #3

Adam Stanco — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:44:00 -0700

Adam Stanco answers your questions.. and the one’s you should be asking. If you have a question, send it to BasketballWriter@cs.com

Any chance that Acie Law or Javaris Crittenton drop to the Lakers at 19? And if not, do you think it’s worth trading up or will Jordan Farmar become a reliable NBA starter?

(Submitted by: Azzie Mackenzie of Sherman Oaks, CA)

Since Law is more NBA-ready right now, he could play sooner on most of the lottery teams. However, Crittenton probably has a higher ceiling, meaning deeper teams are more into the former Georgia Tech star. After all, they can be patient with his development. Unfortunately, both will probably be gone by the time that the Lakers select.

As for your second question, Farmar could certainly be a “reliable NBA starter,” but a disgruntled Kobe Bryant probably wants his teammates to be a little more than “reliable.” Those who have followed my pieces all year know that I expect huge things from Crittenton. Just imagine if Rod Strickland was bigger and had a more consistent jump shot… that is who Crittenton could be.

The Lakers should trade up, but who would they trade with?

If the Hawks select Brandan Wright or Al Horford with their first pick, they might be looking at Crittenton at No. 11. The Sixers have their point guard in Andre Miller, yet since they have other two picks later in the 1st round, it’s unlikely that Philly would be interested in moving out of the lottery.

The Clippers will undoubtedly snatch Crittenton if he’s still available at No. 14, meaning the Lakers best bet would be to obtain the Hornets’ draft pick (No. 13). New Orleans has no need for a point guard and would probably swap with L.A. for a relatively low price.

The Pistons are old, the Bulls are young and the Cavs, well, we see LeBron needs help. Assuming Oden goes to Portland and Durant to Seattle, what do you foresee as the future for an already depleted Eastern Conference? What draftee could have a realistic chance to make an immediate impact in the East?

(Submitted by: L.S. of Storrs, CT)

Obviously a lot depends on who goes where, but there are two teams who could really make a jump up the standings depending on their draft pick.

Milwaukee is awfully close to being a contender in the East. Andrew Bogut, Charlie Villanueva, and Michael Redd are a solid core, but all three struggled with injury issues last season.

The Bucks – who have the No. 6 pick – are apparently in love with Al Horford, but assuming he’s gone by the time they select, they’ll probably have a chance to nab Brandan Wright, Yi Jianlian, or Corey Brewer.

Wright should make an impact in the league, but it won’t be for a few years. Jianlin could be solid in year one and Brewer would instantly stand out in the East. But if Horford somehow slips to the Bucks, he could contend for Rookie of the Year honors.

However, the greatest impact rookie of all might just be Acie Law. If the Hawks decide to go with a big man with their first pick and choose Law at No. 11, the polished lead guard would team with Joe Johnson and have Atlanta on the right track much quicker than you’d expect.

Adam Stanco answers your questions.. and the one’s you should be asking. If you have a question, send it to BasketballWriter@cs.com

All-Time NBA Studs & Duds: Part One

Jeff Fox — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 08:15:03 -0700

It’s true that the NBA draft is a crapshoot. When looking through the history of the NBA draft it is also very apparent that some NBA teams are better dice throwers than others. It is also true that hindsight is 20/20 but some of these picks leave the onlooker scratching their heads. The fact that some of the game’s greatest players of all-time, including Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, were passed over by teams in the draft is bewildering. It’s time to play Monday morning quarterback and break down each NBA team’s draft day touchdowns and draft day blunders of all-time.

Atlanta Hawks

Stud:

1970-#3 overall – Pete Maravich

Dud:

1985-#5- Jon Koncak

Could have had: Karl Malone, Chris Mullin

Boston Celtics

Stud:

1978-#6- Larry Bird

Dud:

1948-#3- George Hauptfuhrer

Could have had: Dolph Schayes

Charlotte Bobcats

Stud:

2004-#2- Emeka Okafor

Dud:

2006-#3- Adam Morrison

Could have had: Brandon Roy

Chicago Bulls

Stud:

1984-#3- Michael Jordan

Dud:

2002-#2- Jay Williams

Could have had: Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer

Cleveland Cavaliers

Stud:

2003-#1- LeBron James

Dud:

1996-#13- Vitaly Potapenko

Could have had: Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Jermaine O’Neal

Dallas Mavericks

Stud:

2003-#29- Josh Howard

Dud:

1984-#4- Sam Perkins

Could have had: Charles Barkley, John Stockton

Denver Nuggets

Stud:

1991-#4- Dikembe Mutombo

Dud:

2002-#5- Nikoloz Tskitishvili

Could have had: Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer

Detroit Pistons

Stud:

1985-#18- Joe Dumars

Dud:

1959-#2- Bailey Howell

Could have had: Wilt Chamberlain

Golden State

Stud:

1959-#3- Wilt Chamberlain

Dud:

1965-#1- Fred Hetzel

Could have had: Bill Bradley, Rick Barry, Billy Cunnigham, Gail Goodrich

Houston Rockets

Stud:

1970- 2^nd round - #18 overall - Calvin Murphy

Dud:

1976-#1- John Lucas

Could have had: Robert Parish, Alex English

Indiana Pacers

Stud:

1987-#11- Reggie Miller

Dud:

1978-#3- Rick Robey

Could have had: Larry Bird

Los Angeles Clippers

Stud:

1972-#2- Bob McAdoo

Dud:

1985-#3- Benoit Benjamin

Could have had: Chris Mullin, Karl Malone

Los Angeles Lakers

Stud:

1979-#1- Magic Johnson

Dud:

1986-#23- Ken Barlow

Could have had: Arvydas Sabonis, Dennis Rodman, Mark Price

Memphis Grizzlies

Stud:

2002- 2^nd round - #45 overall - Matt Barnes

Dud:

1996-#3- Shareef Abdul-Rahim

Could have had: Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Jermaine O’Neal

Miami Heat

Stud:

2003-#5- Dwyane Wade

Dud:

1992-#11- Harold Minor

Could have had: Latrell Sprewell

Check back tomorrow for Part Two of All-Time NBA Draft Studs & Duds

Los Angeles Laker: NBA Draft Team Needs

Jason Brubaker — Sun, 27 May 2007 00:00:00 -0700

NBA Draft Los Angeles Lakers

2006-07 Record: 42-40

2007 Picks: 19^th, 40^th, 48^th

Team needs: Outside shooting, backcourt depth

Who to pick: A young wing such as Daequan Cook would be a good fit to come off the bench behind Kobe Bryant. A big guard like Javaris Crittenton could be a good fit also. The Lakers could look to swingmen like D.J. Strawberry or Jared Dudley in the second round.

Draft History

2006: Jordan Farmar (26), Cheik Samb (51)

2005: Andrew Bynum (10), Ronny Turiaf (37), Von Wafer (39)

2004: Sasha Vujacic (27), Marcus Douthit (56)

2003: Brian Cook (24), Luke Walton (32)

2002: Kareem Rush (20)

2001: None

2000: Mark Madsen (29), Corey Hightower (54)

1999: Devean George (23), John Celestand (30)

Links: NBA Draft | NBA Teams | Mock Draft | Draft History