Josh Powell is on his way to Atlanta. And as Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles reports, D.J. Mbenga, the Lakers' other deep reserve in the frontcourt, is also expected to sign elsewhere in free agency. Meaning that even though Theo Ratliff has plugged in as a reserve in the frontcourt, the Lakers could still use one more player up front. And it's looking like it could be second-round draft pick Derrick Caracter. As David Thorpe of Scouts Inc. writes on Friday, Caracter had an impressive summer league showing, meaning the Lakers appear to have found an NBA-ready player later in the draft to fill a need on their roster: "Here was my checklist when watching DC this week: Did he rebound ferociously? Did he compete hard on defense? Could he finish shots around the rim? Did his body look ready? Check, check, check and check. The Lakers have to be thrilled they found an NBA player so late in the draft. Now they have to keep him moving in the right direction." Source: ESPN
