<font size=""2""><font size=""1""><font color=""Black"">No. Not the 2006-2007 Laker team. But for those who are fortunate enough to compete in the SPL for a spot on the 15 man roster. Who is that? Where did he come from? Is he going to stick around? Those are three of the most commonly asked questions that come up during Summer Pro League games. For some guys SPL is no big deal, something the team is forcing them to do. But for others, like Cedric Bozeman or Nick Horvath, this is their chance to make it in the league. For Andrew Bynum and the other young guys on the Lakers, this is a chance for them to show what they can do, and hopefully put enough confidence in the coaching staff to start considering them as a contributor next season. So while a handful of these players you may never see again, knowing more about them will make watching them more enjoyable. And for those who won?t be watching the Lakers SPL team this summer, enjoy a bit of background information on them, as well as what the Lakers hope to see from them this summer. <font color=""Red"">Andrew Bynum</font> We all know Andrew?s story: The Lakers 10th overall pick in the 2005 draft, a 17 year old seven footer who wasn?t developed enough to play in his rookie season. Andrew not playing his rookie season wasn?t a bad thing though since the organization wasn?t expecting much from him early. However, he?s coming up on his second year and things have changed. Andrew showed the potential to become a defensive force during his first year. If Andrew shows that he can bring shot blocking to this Laker team that sorely lacks it, his minutes are definitely likely to increase. The biggest issue with Andrew?s game, and likely the one that kept him from playing, was his inability to finish around the rim. Too many times Andrew got his shot blocked by smaller players who had no business doing so. This may be a problem that he has solved though. According to Alan Massingale Andrew developed a mean streak towards the end of the season, and he finally began to use his athleticism that made him a lottery pick. Not only was Andrew blocking shots and utilizing his athleticism well, but he was starting to finish strong around the rim. If these reports are true, and Andrew shows this mean streak in the games, expect Mihm to be on his way out. <font color=""red"">Sasha Vujacic</font> The 6?7 point guard from Serbia-Montenegro was the Lakers 27th overall pick in the 2004 draft. He came from Snaidero Udine from the EuroLeague where averaged 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists as one of the top point guard prospects in Italy. Sasha was money in the playoffs as he took a big step developmental wise. With no starting point guard yet, Sasha?s under the microscope almost as much as Andrew is. They?ll hope that Sasha shows the ability to do more than just shoot the three, like create shots for his teammates, get to the hole, and play defense without fouling. If Sasha can show this stuff, expect Phil to give him good minutes next season. They can always use another shooter on the floor, and the point guard minutes are up for grabs. <font color=""red"">Marcus Douthit</font> Douthit was a role player at Providence who was an NBA prospect because of his defensive abilities. His success at the collegiate level led to him being taken 57th overall in the 2004 NBA draft. His offensive game was pretty much non existent in college. Word was he may have gotten a non guaranteed deal from the Lakers, but after getting into some legal issues over identity theft and embezzlement that he was cleared for later he had to settle for playing overseas. He?s spent time over seas in some of the weaker leagues, where he put up decent numbers. This past year he was apart of the NBDL league champion Albuquerque ThunderBirds, where he played for Laker legend Michael Cooper and alongside Tierre Brown, Laker back up point guard in 2004. He averaged 10 points and 7 boards for the season and had an impressive 11 point, 15 rebound performance in the championship game. If Marcus is ever going to make it into the league, he?s got to continue improving his offensive game. He?s put on some muscle since the Lakers drafted him in 2004, but he?s still got a long way to go if he?s going to play against real NBA big men. Only way he makes the roster is if Mihm gets shipped off and the Lakers think he can be a serviceable back up. He?ll most likely find himself back in the NBDL, with the Albuquerque Thundbirds or Los Angeles D-Fenders. <font color=""red"">Jordan Farmar</font> Next to Andrew Bynum, Farmar?s the most recognizable guy on the team. He led Taft to a city championship, and came within one win of leading UCLA to a national championship. Gonzaga and Arizona were two other schools that he was considering, but Ben Howland convinced the high school McDonald?s all American to go to UCLA. At UCLA he went on to become the Rivals.com and pac-10 freshman of the year. His sophomore year he became one of the top point guard prospects in the nation while taking UCLA to the national championship game. At 19 his maturity and ability to come through in big time situations is incredible. Jordan is in the same position that Sasha is. Smush Parker?s spot as the starting point guard is hardly cemented, and impressing the Laker staff here will go a long way in helping him be apart of the rotation. The coaching staff knows all about his ability to run a team, but what they want to see is how he stays in front of some of the quicker guards, and how well he shoots the ball. If Jordan can stay in front of his man and hit the 3 ball with consistency, some good minutes could be in his future. <font color=""red"">Von Wafer</font> A high school all American who probably made the wrong decision in going to Florida State, he underachieved in a program that is known for doing the same. After two years he decided to enter the NBA draft, where he was taken 39th overall. Next to Smush Parker, Von Wafer was the standout of the team last year. He lit up Dantay Jones and Andre Emmit twice for over twenty points. Fans were so high on him that ridiculous comparisons to Ray Allen were made. He split time with the Lakers and the Fort Worth Flyers, struggling on both teams. Even if Von Wafer shoots the ball very well in the SPL, the Lakers are unlikely to be fooled because he had the same success last year, and couldn?t buy a bucket in a real NBA game. Von will also have to improve on his passing, as he was a known gunner last year. His defense will also be a point of emphasis. With the Lakers already over the 15 man limit and Maurice Evans on the team, Von likely won?t make the roster. Even if he has another light out SPL performance, team officials will put more stock into how he does in training camp and preseason when considering whether to keep him or not. <font color=""red"">Devin Green</font> A solid collegiate player with no true position, Devin found himself undrafted in 2005. The Lakers liked what they saw in Devin throughout his college career and in pre draft workouts and brought him onto the SPL squad. Eventually Devin found himself on the final training camp roster, and stuck with the team throughout the year. He never played a whole lot of minutes, but his hard work and great attitude kept him on the team. Those things that kept him on the team last year, likely are the things that will make him the 15th man on the 2006 roster. Devin?s got the ability to defend any position 1-3, scoring from them is a different story though. If there?s one thing Laker fans know about Devin other than the fact that he?s impressed the coaching staff, it?s that he can?t hit a jumper to save his life. Hopefully he?s been working hard on it this summer, because it?s unlikely they bring him back if he hasn?t improved in the area at all. Knowing Devin Green, he?s probably been shooting hundreds of jumpers everyday. <font color=""red"">Danilo Pinnock</font> As a senior in high school Danilo was academically struggling. His father and AAU coach set him straight and got him in prep school, where he went on to commit to George Washington. Danilo Pinnock was apart of the all atlantic 10 rookie team his first year, conference 6th man of the year his sophomore year, and conference first team his junior season. The Lakers liked Danilo enough to trade one of their future second round picks to Dallas for his rights. Danilo is a father and a member of the Panamanian national team. Danilo is a talented and athletic scorer inside the arc who also plays some very good defense. His 3 point shot needs a lot of work. Danilo is a passionate, intense player who wants to do nothing else but play basketball for a living. In time, he could do so for the Lakers. But the chances of him actually making the 15 man roster next year are not too good. He?ll likely end up in the D league or overseas, where the Lakers will keep a very close watch on him. <font color=""red"">Cedric Bozeman</font> As a McDonald?s all American from Los Angeles Cedric Bozeman was a big time recruit coming into UCLA. Hindered by injuries and inability to get comfortable as a point guard, Bozeman never really lived up to expectations. He?s a 6?6 versatile player who understands the concepts of team defense like his teammate Jordan Farmar. He?s capable of doing a lot of things on the court, but he?s never grown into his full potential. In the right system in the NBA, he very well could become a good player Like the rest of the guys on the roster, this is more of a tryout for other NBA teams more than it is for the Lakers. The roster is pretty full, and he?d have to do a whole lot to impress the Lakers enough to make room to keep him on the roster. This is a good situation for Cedric, as he?ll be in the city where he played his high school and college basketball, along with two former college teammates. He should feel very comfortable, despite everything at stake. At worst the Lakers give him a spot on the d league team; at best he finds a spot on an NBA team, but probably not the Lakers. <font color=""red"">Michael Fey</font> Fey is the third and final former UCLA Bruin on the Lakers SPL roster. He just missed out on being a high school all American. He had a very underwhelming career at UCLA. At 7?0 270, he?s a wide body, but not a whole lot more. He?ll be Andrew?s back up, and could benefit some from the chemistry he gained with Jordan Farmar and Cedric Bozeman in their few years of playing together. Fey?s got a long way to go if he?s got any hope of being an NBA Player. He?s overweight, under skilled, and somewhat vertically challenged. He?ll be playing with former teammates Farmar and Bozeman for what will probably be the last time. Fey likely uses his degree or finds a league overseas to play in after SPL. <font color=""red"">Nick Horvath</font> In 1999 he was Mr. Basketball in Minnesota and the Gatorade top player in the state. He continued his playing career at Duke where he had a career average of 2 points and 2 rebounds a game. Despite a lackluster career he was a team captain at one point. A knee injury forced him to turn down a contract offer from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Since then he?s been in Australia where he has still had a bit of injury issues. An article came out a few days ago where Horvath talked about the high level of interest that the Lakers have in him. This interest likely doesn?t last for long, as Horvath isn?t an NBA player, he?s just been putting up good numbers in a weak league. This is more of an audition for other teams. <font color=""red"">Nile Murry</font> After leading his team all the way to the state championship game as a senior in high school, he decided to continue his basketball playing career at Temple, but not for long. After a rough start there he decided to transfer to TCU. Didn?t get much press at TCU because of the weak basketball program, but is a guard who specializes in scoring. At 6?4 Nile is a bit undersized at the shooting guard position, where he played at TCU. He?s in the same position at Horvath and Bozeman since he?ll basically be trying out for other teams since there is no room on this Laker squad. <font color=""red"">Doron Perkins</font> Injury prone in high school, Doron had to spend two years at Southwest Oregon Community college before finally ending up at Santa Clara. During his two years of eligibility to play for Santa Clara he was all WCC. He?s spent this past year playing Toyota Alvark of the Japanese Basketball League, where his team won the championship and he was named the MVP. The JBL is not yet a completely professional league, but will make the transition to becoming one soon. The JBL had very few players come over from the states to play basketball, since they?re just an industrial league right now. The competition was not as high as Doron faced in college, nor will it be as high as what he?ll see in the SPL. He?s mainly just filling in a roster spot in hopes of catching another team?s eye. <font color=""red"">Kasib Powell</font> Averaged 15 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists in his one season at Texas Tech where he played for Bobby Knight. Has spent time in the CBA where he earned player of the year honors. He also played for the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves for short periods of time. In five games for the Chicago Bulls he averaged 3 points and 3 boards a game. Kasib?s been on the NBA radar since going undrafted, but hasn?t found a team to stick with. He was one of the most reliable scorers on a top 25 team in the nation. At 6?7 he?s got good size, and if he can show that he can defend the ball well enough ? may catch the eye of some other team. Ronny Turiaf and Smush Parker will not be participating on the Lakers summer league team this year. Ronny is with the French national team as they prepare for the World Championships coming up in August, while Smush started every game for the Lakers this season and likely wouldn?t benefit a whole lot from playing against a lesser level of competition than he faced during the season. Sasha Vujacic is also a question mark as to whether he?ll play for the team or not, since he was also apart of the Lakers rotation this past year. The team will play 8 games in 13 days against the summer league squads of the Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Washington Wizards.</font></font></font>
