“We have three picks, and if we bring back the players we want to we’ll have at least 13 players on our roster. It stands to reason that we’d look to either move a pick, trade a pick, exchange picks for future picks or pick a player and look for them to play overseas for at least a year.”
— Mitch Kupchak
That quote pretty much tells you all you need to know about what the Lakers are going to do in this draft. The Lakers have pick 29 in the first round, then 42 and 59 in the second round.
The first round pick comes with a guaranteed contract, something the Lakers are not going to take on for next season when they are trying to save cash. The Lakers cannot trade this pick — NBA rules prohibit trading first round picks in consecutive years, and the Lakers 2008 and 2010 picks go to Memphis as part of the Gasol deal.
So here’s my guess as to what the Lakers do with that first round pick:
1) They draft a college player in a pre-arranged deal with another team to trade said player for future picks.
2) They draft an international player that can be stashed in Europe for a year or two.
Three guys that may be around at 29 who are International players are:
Jonas Jerebko, 6-9, 210, the Swedish-born forward playing in Italy. He turned some heads at the recent Reebok Eurocamp, playing just one game but hitting 6 of 7 from the floor with 5 steals, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 28 minutes. One of those makes was an honest-to-goodness skyhook. Considered a good defensive player who on offense has an effective but not very pretty shot, but mostly gets his points and chances on hustle plays. The comparison player is usually Thabo Sefolosha.
Nick Calathes, the 6-5, 185 point guard is an American playing in Greece. He strikes me as the kind of player the Lakers may want if they plan on sticking with the triangle — he’s more of a good spot-up shooter who can slash and finishes well at the rim. Last season he turned the ball over on 19% of his possessions. He can get out and run. If the name sounds familiar, he played a little at Florida. There are questions if he can defend the small, quick NBA PGs.
Rodrigue Beaubois, the 6-2, 180 point guard out of France. A little bit of an unknown who caught eyes at the Eurocamp. Really long wingspan. Some questions about the consistency of his handle and his shot, but has caught a lot of scout’s attention because he has the tools.
The two second round picks, I still think the Lakers would like to move them. But there is not commitment to taking a player here, so if someone they like drops to them they may take him, send him to Summer League and invite him to camp and see if they can get him in cheap. There basically will be no playing time on the Lakers for a rookie, so if they do go this route said player will likely spend a lot of time with the D-Fenders.
Draft Express has the Lakers taking North Carolina’s Danny Green with the 42nd pick (which they got from the Bobcats years ago in the Kareem Rush trade).
They could go international here as well, taking someone like Victor Claver out of Spain, a 6-10, 218 pound power forward (with that build, power may not be the operative word). He is coming off a knee injury and is someone that needs to develop – this is a guy you are choosing for the dreaded “upside,” but that’s not a bad risk in the second round. The same is true of Slava Kravtsov, the 7-0, 265 Russian center.
Note, this is all info gathered from written reports, leaning heavily on the great Draft Express, as I have not seen these guys play.
fifth rune says
Just say no to guys named Slava on the Lakers.
Chris J says
“But at the end of the day none of the people on last weekend’s draft”
Huh?
Buttas says
Nick is a good player and would be a great fit for the triangle. Of course that would assume that Phil is still here in 2-3 (which would be great). Good overall court vision and can finish at the rim. Sneaky good shooter.
chris h says
Chris J, I had the same reaction to that incomplete sentence/thought… but hey, it’s the weekend, and Kurt’s entitled to a few of those now and then.
I bet he fixes it before we hit 10 comments… any takers?
I also echo fifth rune when I first read the name Slava, I screamed Noooooo!!!! in my head, of course.
I’m kind of saying “no to anyone named Sasha too”.
I sure hope he plays himself back into game shape (mentally) this off season…(Sasha, that is).
chearn says
High basketball IQ, defense and athleticism would be nice no matter the position.
TRad says
1. Draft whoever some other team needs.
2. Pack him with 2nd round picks and Morrison’s contract – and sell for $3M.
Morrison salary + $3M = $8M – which gives extra $4M in salary we could give Odom and Ariza. We probably couldn’t sign both of them for $10M (my estimation of a free money). With $14M we probably could.
BCR says
Meh, I still think that the PG situation might as well be addressed (or an attempt to address it) in the draft. I’ve been high on Toney Douglas as a good shooter and superb defender for a while, and he’s probably available at #29. Only reason his stock isn’t higher is that his distributing skills are poor, which isn’t that much a problem because the ball isn’t going to be in his hands a whole lot. FWIW, he had the best sprint time at the entire draft combine, and is a decent slasher.
As far as international prospects go, Jerebko has a first round promise from someone, and he looks like a decent prospect. I’d wager someone picks Calathes before #29; he’d be a good triangle player as well. Beaubois looks okay and is a physical freak, but he’s still putting his game together. I’d support drafting Claver at #42, but I’d think someone would take a shot at him before we pick. His upside is pretty high.
Another player I’d look at is Patrick Beverley, who used to play at Arkansas and then played for a pro team in Ukraine to hone his point guard skills. He lit up the Eurocamp and probably would be a decent choice at #42.
All in all, how we use our picks (international prospects, trading them, etc.) will depend on who’s available at #29. I’d take Douglas if he’s available (or maybe even Collison), but if there’s no one decent on the board, going with someone like Jerebko or Claver and letting them develop overseas would be for the best.
E-ROC says
Jonas Jerebko please! You just can’t teach that height and wingspan along with athleticism to a player.
With the first second-round pick, I would choose Danny Green if available. Good defender with a high IQ and can stroke it from the outside. He has pretty good athleticism given his wingspan.
drrayeye says
Kurt,
Checked out draft express’s mock draft and can see what they think–and why Jonas would be a good prospect for the Lakers downstream.
Considering that many teams stage individual tryouts and have been exploring the draft for many weeks, how prepared are the Lakers for this draft? Who for the Lakers has done the prep work, considering the focus on the championship and then the free agents?
Are there any rumors of possible deals being considered?
sT says
TRad, great idea, send that over to Mitch’s office for consideration.
Great Googly Moogly says
Too bad Seattle doesn’t have a team anymore. Kupchak might have been able to fool them into trading for Adam Morrison.
Maybe Memphis will be willing to take on Sasha’s contract?
The Dude Abides says
I’m definitely against drafting any American players with our first round pick, as that would be a salary cap hit unless we choose Calathes, who is unlikely to be around at #29. I think some Euros predicted to be early second-rounders will instead get chosen in the first round, as teams don’t want to pay extra luxury tax in this economy.
So, Beaubois is my hope at #29, as he can be stashed in a European league in the upcoming season and play for us the season after. I’m hoping that we choose Sergiy Gladyr for one of our seconds. The guy is either 19 or 20, is 6-5 with hops and a sweet jump shot, and can be stashed in Europe for the next two seasons to get some more seasoning. Hopefully he moves into a stronger league next season. I also like Danny Green, who seems to be almost a Bruce Bowen clone.
E-ROC says
For those looking for LA Lakers workouts, HOOPSWORLD has it:
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12626
Warren Wee Lim says
Nick Calathes… big combo guards seem to work fine don’t they? He is 6’5 and is listed as a PG… either way, the combos are the highly rated triangle or non-triangle guards… Phil or Kurt (Rambis that is) at the helm.
Warren Wee Lim says
Question: What if the Lakers traded up? Is it allowed or still not?
For instance, a move that would send Ammo to a team who owns a nice gritty veteran but has a long-term contract and a pick which is higher than ours by 8-ish. That team MIGHT look to trade salaries to save money while sending us the higher pick, in exchange for Ammo’s expiring and our lower pick.
Saber says
6,
TRad,
Just swapping Ammo’s contract with the 1st/2nd draft pick for nothing is a great boon for the front office. Doubt anyone will take on the 5 mil from Ammo to get the 29th/42nd picks.
The quote made by Mitch regards to the upcoming draft eliminate any domestic player (sans Calathes) chosen by the Lakers in the first round unless there is a trade or such. it sounds that the Lakers are set in stashing their 1st pick overseas, assuming that Blake Griffin doesn’t last until the 29th pick. The Lakers can’t afford to tack 1.5 annual/ 3yrs guaranteed.
wondahbap says
The Lakers can afford a 1st Round pick, just hey can afford Lamar and Trevor if they *want* to. They *don’t* want to pay a draft pick. it would be stupid to guarantee a player with ZERO chance of PT. It’s a waste of money. They already have Sun Yue developing.
wondahbap says
*just like they can afford….
chibi says
I believe the Lakers *can* trade their 1st round pick, but only if they receive a 2009 1st round pick in exchange.
I think the draft’ll be a good indicator of how confident Kupchak is about Buss investing in LO/Ariza.
I think int’l players are a real good sign. Anyway, Claver has the skill and length the Lakers prize, but I’d prefer the length and quickness of the Rondo-esque Beaubois. I hope we can nab them both w/ our 2nd rounders.
I’d interpret picking up SFs like like Sam Young, Dajuan Summers, or Danny Green as hedging against Ariza’s departure.
kneejerkNBA says
Love Green. Love Ellington. Goran Suton, maybe, to give us some toughness and rebounding. He kind of reminds me of Laimbeer.
bryanS says
If the hoopsworld list is correct, Marcus
Thorton (sg 6’4″ 220 lbs.) was worked
out twice. That may mean something.
BCR says
bryanS,
I wouldn’t read too much into that. We’re going to workout a wide variety of players simply because it’s a practical thing to do.
Kupchak’s primary concern now (besides resigning Odom and Ariza) is to find a taker for Morrison or Vujacic.
LakerFan says
Kurt,
I know this is off topic according to this thread, but I was wondering IF you knew anything about Kobe’s injured finger?
Is he going to have surgery on it? Whats going on with it?
Kurt says
23. Kobe said at his exit interview he was not going to have surgery on the finger. He’s won a gold and an NBA Finals with it, so kind of hard to argue.
cahuitero says
Draftexpress has sergiy gladyr getting drafted very early in the 2nd. If Lakers want him, they may need to get with the 29th pick.
N.Calathes shoots 3 well, good assist #s & seems like great fit but will he be able to hang on defense vs. quick pg’s?
Lot of possible pg’s (Patrick Beverly, Sergio Llul, Toney Douglas, Jermaine Taylor, Jerel McNeal) but can anyone come in & take minutes from Farmar, Fish or Brown?
The guy that brings something special is Paul Harris: defense. But can he really be the answer to A Brooks, J Nelson, et al & can he knock down the 3? Would love to get everyone’s thoughts on Harris.
Pick #54: Lee Cummard. C Eneya.
The Dude Abides says
Yeah, it’s possible that Gladyr might not be there at #37. Perhaps Mitch can do a two for one and trade both 2nd picks to move up five spots or so. I like the thought of taking Gladyr and stashing him in a tougher Euro league for two seasons, then bringing him over when Sasha’s contract expires.
LakerFan says
Kurt,
Thanks for the info and addressing my question. Keep up the great work
cahuitero says
25. Correction: Lakers have pick #59 not 54.
26. Why not take Gladyr at 29? In any case, sounds like a good plan to stash him for a year or two in case a replacement is needed for Sasha.
LakerFan says
DO you guys think we can Trade Jordan Farmar and our 29th pick to move up so we can draft Brandon Jennings. I think he has got the most upside in him in this draft other than Rubio and Griffin.
Farmar has regressed considerably in his development this year. Which may or may not have something to do with the injury. But i dont think he is teh answer at the 1 for this team. I still think they need to address this issue.
Snoopy2006 says
Good post. I love Danny Green, I think as a mid-2nd round pick he could be a real steal. But it looks like there’s some debate over him, David Thorpe had this to say about Green: “I’m very high on him, but teams I’ve talked to think I’m crazy. I think he’s the closest thing to Artest I’ve seen.”
They’re saying Detroit has made a promise to BJ Mullens at 15.
Mico says
Is it mandatory to draft someone?
I mean if the prospects are not that great in the bottom of the 1st round, wouldn’t it be better to pass on drafting anyone at all?
Of course that’s dependent on the rules of the NBA.
In the pro league here in the Philippines, a team can pass on drafting a player, but that would mean they wouldn’t be able to draft anymore in the later rounds
TRad says
Re: tradeup
We won’t. Lakers won’t take anybody who will play in the NBA next season. We will trade out (I mean: draft somebody to trade him soon after the draft, we can’t trade the pick itself) or draft somebody, who will spend a year or three playing in Europe.
The player I’ll be watching is Ty Lawson. He’s too short for Jackson’s taste. Scouts don’t like him, he will probably go between 15 and 25th picks. Statisticians LOVE him. I have yet to find an analysis based on college production which hasn’t has him as American #1 PG.
It will be an interesting experiment, who’s right, scouting or statistics.
Gr8 Scott says
I know this is off-topic, but I never read anything about why Dr. Buss wasn’t with the team in Orlando. Can anyone fill me in?
Also, I would be wary of Brandon Jennings. If you’ve followed him during the last year, you saw his comments as being one of someone who feels he’s owed something. That’s not to say he can’t be a productive player, but maybe he doesn’t have what we need now. PG is the biggest need for down the road, me thinks.
drrayeye says
The only meaningful issue for the Lakers right now is budget control. At this moment in time, it is possible that all 14 players will return, and they will keep the 15th open like last year.
It’s a stash and trade type of draft for the Lakers.
DON MAGPANTAY- MANDALUYONG CITy, PHILIPPINES> says
sell the pick and use the proceeds to sign up lamar…
Anonymous says
go for nick…phil loves big guard for his triangle..let him place overseas for a year..
TRad says
@Mico
I believe drafting is mandatory, but after the draft the team could renounce the rights to the drafted player. That’s the way Lakers have got Travis Knight. Bulls have drafted him – and then renounced.
Simos says
Calathes would be amazing. Given the fact that he will play next year in Panathinaikos, arguably the best club in Europe (5 titles in the last 10 years), under the greatest coach in Europe (Obradovic), known for bringing up youngsters, I really like his chances of honing hs game. Also, David Thorpe is high on him, and he is one of the few guys that actually knows how to evaluate talent. Also i am greek, and i would love to see a greek play for the Lakers.
Gerrit says
Mico,
The Lakers have a first round draft pick this year. The contract for a first round draft pick is guaranteed. Thus they cannot cut the player that they draft with the 29th pick.
League rules forbid trading first round draft picks in consecutive years, since they traded last years pick they cannot trade away this years first round pick. They can, however, trade the player after he has been drafted. Even if they do this, there are salary matching requirements. If the team that they trade the drafted player to is above the salary cap then they will need to take back a nearly equal amount of salary. If the team that they trade the drafted player to is below the cap, then the Lakers can simply give the drafted player to the team with nothing in return.
The Dude Abides says
36, 38. I don’t believe Calathes will still be there at #29.
28. Gladyr is only 19, and he needs at least two years at a better league in Europe. If we take him in the first round and he keeps improving at a rapid rate, we could end up with a Tiago Splitter situation, whereby a Euro team offers him more pay than the NBA’s first round slot. Think the Spurs could have used an agile 7-footer like Splitter the past two seasons? That won’t happen if we pick Gladyr in the second round. Beaubois is older, has played in a tougher league, and is more NBA-ready. We take him in the first round and then stash him for only one season, and plug him into the point guard position when Fish’s contract runs out.
pb says
If Lawson falls to 29th, we have to grab him. He could be our own little jitterbug PG, that tortures us to death.
Otherwise, we definitely need to draft a stash away for a year type player, as many have said here.
What a nice problem to have, isn’t it? Having a young nucleus does this for us, but we’ll soon need to find a SG, who can eventually give Kobe some breathers down the road, maybe in 2-3 years. We really need to get a higher pick in the near future.
sT says
You know something I have been noticing over the last couple of decades with this Laker organization, they always seem to not have a 1st round pick for some reason. I don’t know what they do with them (have the rules changed over time?), trades or what not, but I was going through the drafts since the 1980’s and this team is never always there with a pick or it was dead last like this year. Yet, look at the team we have, a very young one at that. Is not the Sun going to be part of the future or is he a bust already and not going to stay with the team for long. Like drrayeye said, this year is about the budget, not players.
timbo says
Lakers are going to pick the #29. They have to carry 12 guys under league rules, as far as I’m aware, and have shown themselves to be none-too-deep at the Guard positions (Farmar = sketchy, UPS = free agent, Sun = not ready for the NBA, Morrison = disaster, etc.)
Assuming Collison is gone at 28, which he will be, I can see them taking Wayne Ellington of UNC — a pure shooter from Philadelphia… Hmmm, where have I heard of that before?
If they’ve gotta ditch a player, making a late 2nd Rounder go away is simple, since those contracts aren’t guaranteed. The cost differential between the NBA minimum salary and a late 1st Rounder is fairly minimal, so it’s best to put somebody on the bench who might help out down the road.
Mico says
@Trad
thanks for the info.
@Gerrit
yeah i get that the lakers can’t trade or sell the pick, that’s why i’m asking about a pass, or refusing to select at all.
____
____
A bit off topic, but a hypothetical situation: what if a team already had 15 players on the roster. all contributing players, and non expiring, does that mean that they would always have to select a player and spend on someone that they wouldn’t be able to use?
chearn says
43) Jordan Farmar has not developed as quickly as we anticipated but I like the kids mental tenacity. He stayed ready this year and generally when his number was called he contributed to the team. Phil, just seems to have a short leash with Jordan, for reasons unknown to me. Still, I would like the Lakers to give Jordan until Feb. to show stability, and if he does not, send him packing.
One player that I have grown so tired of though is Sasha: How can he be such a pure shooter and go and entire season without finding his shot? Tired of the experiment with him, give another player the opportunity to hit a wide open jumper even someone that is not known to be a shooter (see Trevor) and I guarantee you they will hit more shots than Sasha. Sasha is not mentally capable of playing in the NBA, he had one breakout year–Oh, and that was his contract year, hmm, sounds like he played for a contract. Let him go back to Europe, please!
The Lakers need a pg to develop under Derek Fisher, so to that end I am hopeful that the Lakers retain Shannon, give him a full year to see if he can be the Lakers starting pg when Derek retires and becomes a GM for an NBA team.
jspires22 says
Not to threadjack but wanted to share a video I recorded from our seats of the Lakers closing it out at Game 5 in Orlando (sorry for just now getting around to getting this up). It was an awesome experience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FymcTagyVWI&feature=channel_page
Kurt says
43 Timbo. If the Lakers bring back Ariza/Odom/Brown/Powell/DJ then they are at 13 on the roster. So they have no need for #29 to make numbers. Brown/Powell/DJ are cheap, less expensive then would be #29 as a rookie (actually Brown likely will be about the same or a little more) so expect them back. The Odom/Ariza thing is well debated.
It makes more sense to bring a second rounder on board for the season, they are cost less than a first rounder.
Zephid says
If we don’t intend to trade whomever we choose in the draft, I think it’s guaranteed that we’re going to choose someone who’s going to be in Europe next year with our draft pick. Otherwise, the only rational option left to the front office is to choose someone and trade him, and that person’s value is not going to be very high at the 29th spot. The 2nd round picks we may as well forget, since they’re not making the team.
Snoopy2006 says
Meh. I have more faith in Kupchak with 2nd rounders than any other GM. Turiaf, Walton, Marc Gasol (wasn’t Gasol in the late 50s if I remember correctly?) MK does his homework and has a knack for finding players who can fit roles tightly defined by Phil. Not saying it’s likely we’ll bring a 2nd-rounder on board, but I’d certainly like to see it, and with Kupchak’s track record a small salary might pay bigger dividends down the road.
2 tacos says
Kurt can you tell me anything about Sun or his progress.
BCR says
Lawson and Calathes aren’t going to drop to us at #29, especially not Lawson. Who we go for will largely depend on who is on the board at #29. If someone who can come in and contribute immediately is available like Toney Douglas, I’d simply take him and look to move Morrison’s contract. Kupchak’s biggest concern right now (aside from resigning Odom and Ariza) is finding a taker for Sasha’s contract; whether that requires packaging Morrison, Farmar, and a pick is another story.
As far as #42 goes, I agree with the above that Danny Green has been massively underrated and could come in and contribute. Jodie Meeks, Marcus Thorton, and Lee Cummard are decent choices for a replacement at the backup two guard spot as well.
cahuitero says
40. I understand that when you take an international guy LATE in the1st round he could develop into a guy that earns much more in Europe than a typical late 1st rounder would earn in the NBA, making it a financially unsound decision to head to the NBA. But I think that really applies to any international, not just a young, talented kid like Gladyr. Couldn’t the same thing happen with Beaubois or Jebreko or Calathes? Drafting a less talented guy in the 1st round because a more talented guy may become too good to keep sounds as silly as marrying a so-so looking girl you instead of a beauty because you figure she’s less likely to dump you. In both cases shouldn’t you just go with whomever you want? The other thing is, if someone like Gladyr was demading top dollars to come over, would the Laker be willing and able to give him a fat contract considering they already are way over the luxury-tax? I’d rather have a stud have to negotiate with me to play in the NBA instead of having the opportunity to see a mediocre player struggle to make the team. Either way the pick may be a waste… why not strike out going for the homerun?
TRad says
Re: Vujacic
“How can he be such a pure shooter and go and entire season without finding his shot?”
Well, in the first place he never was a great shooter. Take a look at his 3p%
04/05 .270
05/06 .343
06/07 .373
07/08 .437
08/09 .363
————-
career .377
07/08 was clearly an outlier. He scored extra 18 3s. It’s less than one 3 every week.
That’s the difference between “good” Vujacic and “bad” Vujacic – less than one threepointer per week.
BlizzardOfOz says
46. awesome, thanks
Ryan says
Can a team over the salary cap use part of their MLE to take a rookie scale contract from another team without sending back equal salary? Can say SA or Houston (both of whom are trying to get a pick in the draft) acquire whomever the Lakers pick without sending back equal salary by sending the Lakers a 1.2M (or whatever the 29th pick gets) a trade exception out of their MLE? Or would they have to send back equal salary?
TRad says
According to Larry Coon’s splendid salary cap FAQ
“Draft picks (both first and second round) count $0 for salary matching purposes. This is true both before and after the draft, until the player signs a contract. (…)
Once the draft pick signs a contract, his actual salary becomes his trade value.
Note that even though a draft pick’s trade value (for salary matching purposes) is $0, a first round pick is included in his team’s team salary at 100% of his scale amount once he is selected in the draft, unless he signs with a non-NBA team (see question number 41). If an unsigned first round draft pick is traded, then 100% of his scale amount is included in the acquiring team’s team salary as soon as the trade is completed. An unsigned second round pick does not count toward team salary”.
However:
“ROOKIE EXCEPTION — Teams may sign their first round draft picks to rookie “scale” contracts even if they will be over the cap as a result”.
What does it mean? I think overcapped teams can’t trade for right to rookie without giving out some salary.
I’m sure they can’t “send a trade exception out of MLE”.
Radmd says
Let’s give Sasha a break!
With all the talk about Ariza becoming a great 3-point shooter, Sasha shot the ball much better than Trevor during the regular season. Trevor shot 0.319 and Sasha 0.363! Actually, despite all the bricks Sasha threw in the playoffs, he ended up shooting almost the same percentage from 3’s than Trevor did during the season, 0.314!!
So, let’s keep things in perspective. Anyone can get hot for several weeks and shoot an outrageous percentage, but usually the law of averages will catch up with a player and they go back to their usual percentage plus/minus 0.03. Anyone remember Luke Walton led the league in 3-point % for several weeks early during 06-07 season and ended up shooting 0.387 by the end of the season? That’s how he ended up with his horrible huge contract! He was playing a ton of minutes with Kobe that year and got wide open looks consistently (scary now to see that Luke actually played 33 minutes per game that season, that is how bad the Lakers were!!)
Yes, Trevor and Lamar just got hot in the playoffs, but don’t expect them to shoot the ball like that over the span of a whole season again. Actually, I am willing to bet that next season, no matter where he is, Trevor will not shoot better than 0.363 for 3’s, the regular season percentage for Sasha this year.
Trevor benefited from playing heavy minutes with the first unit, ie Kobe and Pau and got wide open looks.
Sasha was almost always coming in for Kobe and did not get nealy as many open looks that he got last year. On top of that his minutes were down significantly and he lost his confidence and was always trying to shoot the ball as soon as he got it even if it was not a very clean look, and it snowballed on him. Last year, he played with Kobe when he was playing small forward or Sasha playing PG.
If Sasha plays with Pau and Kobe for even 12 minutes a game, he will shoot the ball over 0.4 again. Then, they can trade him! You can’t trade players with that don’t play yet make over 5 million! Come on Phil, just give the guy 12 minutes with Kobe and Pau!
Darius says
New Post up on Trevor Ariza.
TRad says
@Radmd
The problem is we need Vujacic to be Bryant’s backup. I don’t care how good he is playing with Kobe. We need him to play good without Kobe.
Ariza gives us much more than 3p shooting. Vujacic is a spot shooter. So compating their 3p% doesn’t tell the whole story.
That said Vujacic played this season similar minutes like alst year – and produced very similar Win Shares number. He shot at lower percentage, but has less turnovers, more assists and steals. He would be a very usefull role player – at minimum salary. At full MLE – he’s a waste. Sadly.
Anonymous says
I do not think we should draft Collison. Collison just seems like another Farmar, and we already have a quick point guard that is ok with his shot in Jordan. No need to draft another of the same type of player
Xavier says
I’m gonna comment on two of the overseas players you have said. Beaubois and Claver. Mostly because Jerebko is a complete unknown to me and you’ve seen more Calathes than me playing at college.
Beaubois is a freak guy. He has the physical tools but still don’t know how to use them. Speed and athletic, with a superb wingspan, something like 6’10 or close (correct me if I’m wrong) measuring 6’2. Lacks of true PG skills and though being a good athlete doesn’t move his feet well on D. He plays in France, which isn’t one of the premiere leagues in Europe, so I haven’t seen him play against proven european players. Could be a project ala Sun Yue. Not worth of a 1st round pick if you want him to contribute but if he can wait in Europe a couple years.
The guy the lakers should aim with its 42nd pick is Victor Claver. I was right with Marc Gasol, believe in me with this one. If Claver didn’t hurt this season, he probably would have been drafted in the early 20s.
He’s not a star, but he really has the tools to be a good role player. At 6’10” is a PF able to move in both forward positions. Can finish at the rim at will and knows how to shoot the 3 (arround 40% before injury) but lacks of shoot creation, most of his 3s come from spot up shooting. Slow defending at the wing but not rocky enough down the paint.
He’s pretty smart, doesn’t turn the ball over, mainly because he know what he cannot do and adjust to his role.
Right now, after the injury I would not give up a 1st round pick on him, but that might be a blessing. Euros being projected in late 1st round prefere to be selected in the 2nd round because it doesn’t have the same salaries restrictions. They can stay in Europe and sign a better contract than a first round pick. Look at the contract Marc Gasol (former laker 2nd round pick) have in comparison to Farmar (1st round pick). So if Claver lived up to his espectations playing a year or two more in Spain, the lakers wouldn’t be in the same situation Spurs are with Thiago Splitter, who’s not comming to the NBA because he’s a 1st round so his salary is determined, and he gets much much more money playing for Tau Vitoria.
Xavier says
49. Credit Adam Filippi (lakers director of international scouting) for the Marc Gasol pick I thinkg it was a early 40s BTW). I know him from a long time ago and we talked a lot and I mean A LOT, about Marc before the pick and when the lakers got their rights he was also following him pretty close.
I talked to him after we swapped Gasols. He was very happy getting Pau but there was the thing with Marc, he believed the kid would be a good NBA player. And damn we where right.
Val says
I am Spanish and I am close to Victor Claver. His potential and upside is tremendous, is not heavy but a change is very athletic and fast, with a little improvement in his shot may well be in the NBA a very powerful and sized small forward or a quicky power forward.
Since then choose the 42 would be very nice, remember that Marc Gasol was elected in second round this year and has played very well in the Grizzlies.
BigCitySid says
I like Nick Calathes w/ this pick. Fish will probably be gone by then (2011 or 12) and either Farmar or a free agent to be named later will be the starting point. I see Nick as a backup point. At 6’5, w/ pass 1st tendencies & flash to boot, he’d be a fav at Staples
Radmd says
Trad:
I completely agree that Ariza brings much more to the table than Sasha. I am just saying that if the Lakers want to trade Sasha as quickly as possible next year, they need to give him minutes with Kobe and Pau, so his numbers look better and he becomes more tradable. If he continues to play with the second unit, he will get the same horrible numbers. There is no question Sasha is not worth the money he got. He is worth 1-2 million per year at the most.
The other point is that we keep talking about Sasha not being worth the money he was given. At least Sasha’s contract was for 3 years. I just can’t get over the Lakers giving Luke Walton a 6-year contract, after playing one year of mediocre basketball! The priority should be moving Luke not Sasha, because Luke has 4 more years left as opposed to Sasha’s 2!!! The only slim chance is to package him with Farmar or number one draft pick and cash (lots of it!).
Can you guys believe that last year, Michael Petrius could have been had for essentially the same money ? How about Kelenna Azubuike for almost half the money? Matt Barnes for the minimum Salary? The list goes on and on. Yet the Lakers went with Sasha, depite his horrible play in the finals againts Boston last year and now they find themselves handicapped with 2 really bad untradable contracts which may eventually cause them to lose either Lamar or Ariza.
I never thought they could ever get rid of Radmonovich’s horrible contract but somehow they did it. I hope MK can pull out one more miracle trade out of his hat and move either Luke or Sasha or Morrison, hopefully as early as Thursday, the draft day.
chearn says
Luke Walton’s numbers may not be reflective of a player earning the salary that he does, but with the Lakers and in the triangle, Luke is invaluable. Sorry, his triangle IQ is off the charts probably the 2nd or 3rd best knowledge of the triangle of all the players.
Thus, he is a keeper for now.
He is a utility player one in which his numbers will not display why he is even on the team. Let’s face it, if Luke were on any other team in the league he would be out of the league by now (see Casey Jacobsen).
My problem with Sasha is that he is contributing nothing consistently, and after three-four years in this league and on the same team he should have an idea of what he is doing out there on the floor.
And as far as Trevor is concerned as a 3pt shooter, that highlights the flaws in Sasha’s game all the more, Trevor earned a reputation as a slasher, yet he has improved his 3pt shooting. Sasha entered this league as a shooter and can only shoot consistently during warm-up drills. Sasha has had ample time to prove his worth, and he has failed, time to give someone new three years to give us one good one.
Still, Trevor did not earn a moniker as a shooter as Sasha “The Machine” did for his ability to shoot.
Kaveh says
1) I agree that Fisher CANNOT start next year if we expect to win. His defense is horrible, and his offense is catching up with his defense. It is not his fault –i wish Fisher still had the tools, but he just doesn’t. Youth is wasted on the young as they say. In fact, the only hope fisher has is wide open threes or the refs saving his but as he flops whether on defense or on offense while “driving” to the hoop.
2) I’m not even sure how big Luke’s contract is. Obviously they shouldn’t have given him a huge contract. Nevertheless, he is a very valuable player. His passing and understanding of the game is top notch. What Luke needs to do, DESPERATELY, i might add, is borrow Ariza’s shooting bible, which Ariza borrowed from Kobe. Luke needs to add a shot, whether it is the open mid range or long range shot, and hopefully both.
3) I am very disappointed with Bynum. It’s not the kids fault because he simply does not have the athletic movement he used to have before the injuries. The big question with Bynum is: will he regain his athletic ability? I suspect he will to a certain respect. His decision making also needs to improve –it was far better in the regular season when he was rebounding/defending like none other and would not shoot crazy shots. In the playoffs, and especially in game 5 against Orlando, he took a shot every time he touched the ball. This is unacceptable.
4) Sasha is an open shooter kind of guy and that’s it. He needs to play with Pau and Kobe on the floor and cannot muster up the performance on the second unit. He reminds me of a Steve Kerr or John Paxton type of player. Obviously not worth the money he is getting paid, but can still be valuable if used correctly.