A Pick With So Many Choices

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The lottery assured the Lakers of the No. 10 pick in next month's draft. Now the more unpredictable part ? what to do with it.

They could keep it or trade it.
They could use it to fill a need in the post or at point guard, or simply take the best available player, even if it adds another small forward to a roster overrun with them.

They could prepare for the pick as if Phil Jackson were their next coach, with an emphasis on versatile small forwards and tall guards, or strategize without considering a specific coach and whatever system might come with him.

In short, with more than a month to go, the Lakers' draft options are as limitless as they have been in years, perhaps a lone savory footnote to an unsettling 34-48 season.

The Lakers haven't had a pick this high since taking Eddie Jones 10th overall in 1994, although there are few franchise-changing types in what is considered a deep but not historic draft.

"There isn't a Tim Duncan or Shaq [O'Neal] or some guy who's clearly the top pick and there's a lot of parity after you get by the first three guys," said a player-personnel director for an NBA team. "Between the next 10-15 guys, there's mostly a lot of depth."

Because they have no salary-cap space to lure a big-name free agent, the Lakers will make most of their roster changes via trades and the June 28 draft ? they also have two second-round picks, Nos. 37 and 39.

Five Lakers are in the final year of their contracts, making them potentially valuable commodities for teams that want salary-cap flexibility after next season: Devean George ($5 million for 2005-06), Chucky Atkins ($4.5 million), Slava Medvedenko ($3 million), Caron Butler ($2.4 million) and Jumaine Jones ($1.9 million). The Lakers have the right to match if Butler signs an offer sheet with another team after next season.

The Lakers could package some of the players and the No. 10 pick to move up in the draft. Or they might stay where they are.

"We're approaching the draft as if we will keep the pick and draft at No. 10," Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. "That's been our approach, but we expect a lot of activity in the next two or three weeks with teams that are not in the playoffs and that may or may not involve our pick. It's tough to predict with any certainty exactly how we're going to use the pick and even if we are going to have the pick."</div>

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