LSL Roundtable: NBA Draft Lottery

Which player should the Lakers avoid drafting?

Mar 21, 2014; Raleigh, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Jabari Parker (1) shoots the ball against Mercer Bears forward Jakob Gollon (20) in the first half of a men

Cahill – Jabari Parker. The kid can play. I don’t think he will be a bust by any means. But this Laker team is in limbo – both rebuilding and trying to make the most of the Kobe twilight years. And there lies the problem with Parker. Pair Parker’s seemingly tragic defense with Kobe’s lackadaisical effort on that end and this Laker team will have trouble defending the newly minted West Chester Knicks D-league team let alone the loaded West. That doesn’t mean he won’t improve on that end, it just means that for this Laker team, the wait could be too long.

Lopez – Avoid drafting Embiid. The only way I want to see him wearing a Lakers uniform is if he drops to the Lakers at number 6. If the team earns one of those top 3 picks, I want to avoid going after a center who had back issues. Whether they will be recurring or not, the fact it was serious enough to keep him out of the NCAA tournament worries me.

Valerie Morales – The player they should avoid drafting is Joel Embiid not because Joel is going to be a bust but it is economics. The Lakers have already done the drafting a player with a compromised skeletal system thing. They drafted Andrew Bynum. They knew his history of bad knees. They currently have a player with back issues. Why risk the first round pick, especially when you don’t have a first round pick next year.

Rude – It looks like I’m not in the minority when I say avoid Joel Embiid. Sure, he may have all the potential and skills to become one of the best big men ever, but I hate picks based on potential, and I hate picks even more when they are of players with injury concerns that teams are aware of. Embiid may turn into a great pro with limited injuries, but he equally could become a worse version of Andrew Bynum. Count me out.