June 28th: Draft Day, "Lakers won't trade Bynum"

Phil · Retired Joined: 03 Aug 2001 Posts: 10007

Kupchak: Bynum won't be traded

By KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register

Despite many inquiries about him, the Lakers say Andrew Bynum, right, is growing, improving and remains part of their plans.

JOE MITCHELL, REUTERS

EL SEGUNDO – If the Lakers want to get better faster, all they have to do is put a postage stamp on Andrew Bynum.

But Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said Monday he has reassured Bynum, 18, that there is no plan to trade him - even though Kupchak has fielded a slew of inquiries in the past month about Bynum.

"No discussions of a trade," Kupchak said. "I've seen some rumors."

Kupchak added that though there are never any guarantees, "We're not going to trade Andrew. We're very happy with his progress."

Kupchak said Bynum is working out daily and has grown to more than 7 feet tall. Responding to rumors about trading Lamar Odom or Chris Mihm, Kupchak said, "We're not trying to trade Lamar, Chris or Andrew."

Phil · Retired Joined: 03 Aug 2001 Posts: 10007

Lakers Will Play It by Ear
They own the 26th pick in what shapes up as a fluid NBA draft Wednesday and will hear many names being called before their turn.
By Mike Bresnahan, Times Staff Writer
June 27, 2006

A day ahead of the NBA draft, the Lakers have become symbolic of it: unpredictable and even a bit unknowing.

Such things happen when a team has the 26th pick, although the Lakers aren't alone in the uncertainty of the player they'll end up with in the first round Wednesday.

In the most fluid draft in recent league history, there still remains an overall lack of consensus, starting with which player Toronto will select with the first pick.

Closer to home, the draft brings less anticipation than a year ago, when the Lakers selected Andrew Bynum 10th overall in hopes of socking away a future All-Star center.

The Lakers are back toward the bottom of the draft, their usual place after deep playoff drives, but this time under different circumstances.

They finished with the 21st-best record in the league but traded their first-round pick to Boston two years ago (the pick has since been sent to Phoenix). The Lakers have Miami's first-round selection, which is five spots lower, as part of the Shaquille O'Neal trade two years ago.

The Lakers' needs are across the board, with the obvious exception of shooting guard. They need immediate help at point guard, referred to as a ballhandling guard in the triangle offense, and could also use a big man.

Barring an unlikely trade toward the top of the draft, the Lakers will select a player regardless of his size, and expect eight to 12 players from their preferred list to still be around when they pick.

"Although you look at our roster and you may say we need help in the backcourt, I don't think we're going to get a backcourt player that's going to play for us and help us next year," General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. "That would be great if we did, but we're not going to draft just a backcourt player. We'll see who's there, whether it's a big man, a small forward or a ball-handling guard. The guy that we feel will have the best chance to play in this league for eight to 10 years will be the guy we take."

Phil · Retired Joined: 03 Aug 2001 Posts: 10007

Slaughter works out for Lakers

By: MIKE SULLIVAN - Staff Writer

Former San Diego State basketball standout Marcus Slaughter said he worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

Phil · Retired Joined: 03 Aug 2001 Posts: 10007

Draft deal unlikely for Lakers
JOHN NADEL
Associated Press
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - Try as they might, the Los Angeles Lakers have been unsuccessful in their attempts to make a deal and move up in the NBA draft.

That could still happen, but general manager Mitch Kupchak says he's not expecting it.

So the most likely scenario Wednesday night is that the Lakers will get the 26th overall pick - acquired from Miami in the Shaquille O'Neal deal two years ago.

And Kupchak doesn't expect that player to make an immediate impact.

"I think everybody wants to move up, there's a cost associated with moving up," Kupchak said. "We'd like to move up. (But) we don't have a trade about to happen, and we're not trying to trade Chris, Lamar or Andrew."

Kupchak referred to Chris Mihm, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum.

While Kupchak made clear there are no guarantees, he was quite specific regarding the 18-year-old Bynum, taken with the 10th overall pick in last year's draft.

Kupchak said Bynum has grown an inch during the offseason, putting him over 7 feet tall.

"We're not going to trade Andrew," Kupchak said. "We're very happy with his progress."

Phil · Retired Joined: 03 Aug 2001 Posts: 10007

Possibilities are limited
Teams have some doubts about the talent in this first draft without high school players.

By KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register

EL SEGUNDO – Congratulations, college basketball fans.

Tonight will not be the night for Greg Oden, Kevin Durant and Thaddeus Young to don fancy suits, try their best to maintain adult posture while walking on stage and become instantly famous. The closest those guys - headed for Ohio State, Texas and Georgia Tech, respectively - will be tonight to the pros will be via their PlayStation2s and NBA Live games.

This will be the first NBA draft since the league put away its largely irresistible cookie jar, shelving high school prospects for at least one year in college before making them NBA-eligible.

"It's a really good high school class," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said. "If you're a college basketball fan next year, it's going to be an exciting year."

Phil · Retired Joined: 03 Aug 2001 Posts: 10007

Guarded talk from LA teams
DECISIONS: The Lakers and Clippers are hesitant to reveal any plans but have backcourt concerns.

01:10 AM PDT on Wednesday, June 28, 2006
By BRODERICK TURNER
The Press-Enterprise

While the Lakers will try to sort through what many consider the most unpredictable NBA draft in recent memory, the Clippers' top priority is signing their free agents.

AP photo
Jordan Farmar (right) proved to be an effective point guard in his two seasons at UCLA. He led the Bruins to the NCAA Tournament's championship game as a sophomore.

The Lakers' first-round pick is No. 26, and they are in need of a point guard. But General Manager Mitch Kupchak said the Lakers won't necessarily focus on a guard if they find a better player at another position in today's draft.

These are the likely candidates the Lakers will select from:

James White, a 6-foot-7 swingman from Cincinnati; Jordan Farmar, a 6-2 point guard from UCLA; Maurice Ager, a 6-5 guard from Michigan State; and Sergio Rodriguez, a 6-3 point guard from Spain.

Phil · Retired Joined: 03 Aug 2001 Posts: 10007

Finding a gem is no easy task

As far as the draft goes, one player on the rise is Brandon Roy, a former teammate of the Knicks' Nate Robinson at the University of Washington. Among the teams trying to move up for Roy, a combination guard, are the Lakers (26th pick) and Houston (No. 8 ).

Phil · Retired Joined: 03 Aug 2001 Posts: 10007

Perspective is key for the Lakers
BY ROSS SILER, Staff Writer

From one perspective, the Lakers finished seventh in the Western Conference last season, winning 19 of 30 games after the All-Star break and pushing the Phoenix Suns to Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs.

From the other, the Lakers were a .500 team as late as March 19, became just the eighth team in history to blow a 3-1 lead in the playoffs and suffered a distressing 31-point loss in Game 7 against the Suns.

They won three of five games in the regular season against Miami and Dallas, the two NBA Finals participants. They also split the season series with the Portland Trail Blazers, the league's worst team.

As they head into tonight's NBA draft and the start of free agency Saturday, the Lakers must decide on how drastic a makeover they need - and how they can take advantage of limited opportunities to do so.

The Lakers will start with the No. 26 pick, near the end of the first round. They likely will select a guard, though general manager Mitch Kupchak has realistic expectations about how much a rookie will be able to contribute.

Kupchak would like to trade up in the draft, but also acknowledged that several general managers are looking to move out of the first round entirely. Such is the fate of the NBA's first draft since instituting its new age limit.

The Lakers auditioned nearly 80 players and had Temple's Mardy Collins and UCLA's Jordan Farmar in for workouts this week. Whether Farmar would be available when the Lakers pick at No. 26 is questionable.

Other players who could be available late in the first round include Texas' P.J. Tucker, Spain's Sergio Rodriguez, Miami's Guillermo Diaz, Rutgers' Quincy Douby and Cincinnati's James White.

Phil · Retired Joined: 03 Aug 2001 Posts: 10007

Possibilities are limited

Teams have some doubts about the talent in this first draft without high school players.

By KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register

Texas’ LaMarcus Aldridge is one of a handful of players given a chance to go No. 1 in the draft.

HARRY CABLUCK, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

EL SEGUNDO – Congratulations, college basketball fans.

Tonight will not be the night for Greg Oden, Kevin Durant and Thaddeus Young to don fancy suits, try their best to maintain adult posture while walking on stage and become instantly famous. The closest those guys - headed for Ohio State, Texas and Georgia Tech, respectively - will be tonight to the pros will be via their PlayStation2s and NBA Live games.

This will be the first NBA draft since the league put away its largely irresistible cookie jar, shelving high school prospects for at least one year in college before making them NBA-eligible.

"It's a really good high school class," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said. "If you're a college basketball fan next year, it's going to be an exciting year."