Can the Lakers benefit from the 2009 draft?

As the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans celebrate the 2008-09 NBA Championship, many other teams in the league are focused on something else: the NBA Draft June 25.
With Blake Griffin of Oklahoma, Ricky Rubio from Spain and many others headlining the upcoming draft, Laker fans are left to ponder, if they really do care, which player falls into the team and is sent off to the summer league team and possibly the D-fenders of the NBA's Development League.
But the Lakers seem to have a special knack from developing players quickly that show promise early. Andrew Bynum, despite his injuries, has been one of the biggest recent pieces in the Laker puzzle.
Analyzing the draft can be difficult, as not one player is assured to go to a specific team, especially Griffin, who has been speculated to be a No. 1 pick across the board. Griffin may be ready to go to the Los Angeles Clippers, this years first team on the clock.
The Lakers management needs to decide which area they need to address first.
Having Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol wrapped up for another two years and Derek Fisher and Andrew Bynum under contract until the end of next season, many are wondering if owner Dr. Jerry Buss and General Manager Mitch Kupchak attempt to re-sign Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom.
But what if these two have a different mindset on how to build for next season, which would go against all hope that Ariza and Odom are offered worthy contracts after perfomances in the playoffs en route to their first NBA title.
With the economy being in disarray, many teams have tried to go away from offering luxurious short-term contracts, instead signing players for longer amounts of time. Luke Walton is signed through 2012, making more than $20 million, but he has shown signs of living up to this contract, especially in key situations in the finals.
One area the Lakers could strengthen would be at the center position. Finding a stable backup to Bynum and keeping Gasol at the power forward spot on a more frequent basis.
The web site DraftExpress.com had the Lakers taking Jonas Jerebko, a 6 foot 9, 22-year-old Swedish native in the first round and Slava Kravstov, a 7 foot, 21-year-old Ukranian, both of whom look like possible picks. Another web site, nbadraft.net, had the Lakers taking two players from Louisiana State, guard Marcus Thorton and forward Chris Johnson. These players might be speculated as possible picks due to their playing experience with former teammate and current Boston Celtic Glenn Davis.
The possibilities on draft day are endless. The Lakers could do what they did 13 years ago, trading an older player to a team looking for veteran experience and getting a steal like Bryant. Players such as Jordan Farmar, Adam Morrison, Sasha Vujacic and possibly Walton all can be used as trade bait in an attempt to gain a higher draft pick.
The names on the draft board have proven they can compete at the college level, but many have seen players never pan out that had such high expectations.
Morrison was just one of these players. So highly touted coming out of Gonzaga after leading his Bulldogs to the NCAA Final Four, he was a bust come draft day. Drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats, he never truly found his place before getting shipped to the Lakers and watching the finals from the bench in a suit.
Despite the speculation of whom the Lakers might or might not draft, it can be assured that Laker fans are not too concerned with the draft. They want to see how the 2008-09 NBA title is defended and whether or not a rematch with the Celtics is something to look forward to.

Laker blurb. Champions baby! But to all serious-ness.

This all starts last year. Trevor Ariza came to the Los Angeles Lakers and made an enormous impact, his defense smothering, his shooting getting better and better. But the best thing of all, is the Ariza is a local product of Southern California. Late in the 2007-2008, Ariza suffered an ankle injury, but came back early and still competed in the playoffs. To no avail, Ariza's presence did no help. Look at this years Finals. Orlando's Jameer Nelson had a breakout first half of the season, giving the Magic a starting point guard presence not found in the Finals. If you watches both Finals series, you could see the difference of performance with Ariza. Nelson did proove he could compete at a high level, as he earned himself an All-Star selection before separating his shoulder, leading to surgery. But this was early in the season. Injuries take even the best players out of their groove. Ariza's ankle. Nelson's shoulder. But what about Kobe Bryant's fingers? or Andrew Bynum's knee, still not fully healed? Or Kevin Garnett's injury, leaving the Celtics another man down, unable to repeat their performance of 2008? An injury can devastate any season, but the 2009 Lakers fought through injury and earned the NBA Championship. But look back at Nelson. His passion for the game. His willingness to push himself, and his body, back from a reconstructive shoulder surgery, to compete, and play big minutes, for the Magic. These same Magic will appear in many playoff series, just like the one just completed, but so will these same Lakers. The parody over the league is amazing. You still have the Celtics, the Cavaliers, the up and coming Nuggets, Hornets, Jazz, Heat, and every other team in the league poised at making a run. The Lakers had the mentality this year to get the job done. The Magic saw just what it takes to get the job done, although unsuccseful in their task. The Magic may not win the title in 2009-10, but they will be a strong contender as long as Dwight Howard is healthy and competing a high level of play. In the press conference after Game 5, Howard felt that Ariza and Lamar Odom were two huge factors in the Lakers 4-2 series victory over the Magic. Looking ahead to next year, as long as the core of the Laker roster remains healthy, and role players, depending on which are signed, resigned or traded, make a contribution, this team can still win championships with Bryant, Bynum (staying out of foul trouble), and Gasol at the helm. Each and every member of this 2009 Laker team was a contributor. Derek Fisher came through huge time after time. Ariza, offensively and defensively and Odom, who some analysts said was one factor as to if the Lakers would win or lose depending on his play. The bench was inconsistent, but still managed to get the job done when it mattered most. Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown, Luke Walton, Josh Powell, the seldom used D.J. Mbengma, Sun Yue, and Adam Morrison (who the Lakers still have not found out what he can do). As Laker fans, we will cherish this win for days to come, but when next season starts, the hunger comes back, and it is time to dance, yet again.

Spring 2009 Final Blog

So procrastination gets you nowhere. I figured this out time after time this semester. I procrastinated in assigning stories, but always had stories to fill pages, although we had one too many ads each week. I procrastinated in doing my final, and I know I could have done a lot better on it. I procrastinated on writing this blog, and now, I am sitting here trying to reflect on the semester past and learn from it. With most of the editorial board I knew leaving and moving on, save for Miles, I do feel that me still being involved with the online and magazine editions will be a positive. I know Lori and Kate have the patience to deal with the new editors, but it will be a new adventure day after day. As for myself, I already feel like I am getting in over my head. I am venturing into two new worlds that I have not experienced, and I am scared for my own well-being. Well, not really, but I do know that it will be a learning experience and I will need all the help I can get from anyone who I can trust to help me. I must say though, it was a very interesting semester. I met a lot of people who changed my life in both positive and negative ways. I will continue to live my life the same way I have over the past year, keep my head up, and let each day happen as it happens.