<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">This isn't going to be an easy process for the Lakers, even with Jackson, but drafting a big young center seems typical of Buss' risk/reward strategy The empire strikes back, however belatedly. Before this week, the question was whether the Lakers would ever be back, or if they were going to sink out of sight like Atlantis or Boston. The question persisted throughout this storm-tossed season with their coach fleeing, their star running off players they were trying to sign and no one able to explain what they were doing ? leaving the impression they didn't know ? before the owner stepped up to say they could be back in the Western Conference finals in a year or two. By then I thought we had seen the last of that period in NBA history, but two things happened, both surprises to moi: Phil Jackson returned as coach, offering the possibility of stabilizing their bedraggled crew in the short term; and, just as important, their long-term strategy remained in place. There was one little problem with Jackson's return. His three-year deal meant that as far as winning titles was concerned, he could only start them off in the right direction. So, what's good for Jackson's second term wasn't necessarily what's best for the Lakers in the end. All these forces came into play in the last week, in which the new Jackson/Jerry Buss/Mitch Kupchak regime began to define itself. Late on the pre-draft circuit, Kupchak and the scouts had fallen hard for prep center Andrew Bynum, himself a late bloomer who had only recently lost enough weight to emerge as a star of his class at the McDonald's Classic. Kupchak had two problems: Someone else might grab Bynum ? and Jackson might not want him, because he wouldn't be ready to do much until Phil was working on his farewell address. Happiness in the draft these days is drafting behind Toronto Raptor General Manager Rob Babcock, who somehow decided the big man he wanted was not Channing Frye, the no-brainer choice, but Charlie Villanueva, a no-brainer in his own right. The New York Knicks, who wanted a big man, took Frye ? and the Golden State Warriors, another dizzy outfit, decided they wanted a short power forward, Ike Diogu, to go with their big one, Troy Murphy. That left Bynum for Jackson, who didn't like the idea of high school players when he had five-year deals. For a week, there were reports from insiders that Phil wasn't doing back flips over this one. There was also a concern about Bynum's medical history. Last week, Bynum was rated a no-go. The projected Laker pick was 6-foot-9 Spanish power forward Fran Vazquez. Jackson is big on power forwards; in Chicago where he had Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman, they were the key to his defense, which was the key to his six titles. Unfortunately, many people, including some Laker officials, thought Vazquez was pretty ordinary for a No. 10 pick, like a smaller version of Chris Mihm. By draft day, Vazquez was out of the mix. If Frye and Bynum had been gone, the Lakers would have taken Sean May, whom they liked a lot ? but who is 6-7 in bare feet.</div> Source
