Are the Los Angeles Lakers setting Julius Randle up for success?
After using the No. 7 pick of the 2014 NBA draft to select the 19-year-old power forward from Dallas, the Lakers have just kept adding pieces that might end up stealing minutes away from him. The frontcourt rotation is growing more crowded by the day, with Carlos Boozer emerging as the latest addition.
Once the Chicago Bulls decided to use the amnesty clause on their veteran 4, opening up space for Pau Gasol and the rest of the bigs both on and soon to be on the Windy City roster, the Lakers submitted the highest waiver claim, as reported by USA Today's Sam Amick.
All of a sudden, there's another body competing with Randle.
Will this hinder his development in any way?
A Crowded Frontcourt
The Lakers entered the post-draft portion of the offseason with a boatload of backcourt prospects.
Not only was Kobe Bryant set to return from his latest major injury, but Steve Nash also remained under contract and was joined by second-round draft pick Jordan Clarkson. Oh, and Kendall Marshall was still on the roster at the time, though he's since been waived.
To top that off, the Lakers agreed to an extension with Nick Young, presumably with the intent of allowing him to fill in the small forward spot that he played so admirably in during the 2013-14 campaign. They also traded for Jeremy Lin without sending back any current players to the Houston Rockets, giving them a literal handful of natural guards.
But now, the big men seem to be forming an even more crowded part of the rotation, even if the summer began with only Robert Sacre under contract.
General manager Mitch Kupchak selected Julius Randle at No. 7 in the 2014 NBA draft, making him the first lottery pick by the franchise since Andrew Bynum a...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
