The mark of any great sports franchise is often measured not just in how many championships a team wins, but in how they maintain a consistently strong, winning record after their big stars age and leave the game.
The Lakers clearly have their collective sights set on going the distance this spring. They have a more than solid nucleus of players that may well carry them deep into the playoffs for several years to come. Pau Gasol (29), Lamar Odom (31), Ron Artest (31) and Kobe Bryant (32) all have the desire and potential to play at a high level for another few years.
But then what? Remember those lean years after Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and the rest of the Showtime Lakers retired? They weren't pretty.
One of the ways this franchise can continue to stay near the top of the NBA heap is by drafting talented newcomers from the college ranks with the hopes they'll find a diamond in the rough.
This year’s crop of eligible college players is slightly weaker than past seasons and the top players will be long gone by the team Los Angeles gets to its first of three second round picks. Still, there are always “sleepers” – players who were not given a chance to make it in the pros or didn’t play for a big-time college program and may have been overlooked by the scouts.
The Lakers drafted two such players in 2010 – Derrick Caracter and Devon Ebanks – both of whom may develop into solid NBA contributors but the book is still out on both.
