Jan 21, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) against the New Orleans Pelicans during a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Lakers 96-80. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The quest to find the Black Mamba his sixth ring continues. Although it probably won’t mean much at this point, considering he won’t be the catalyst of the team, there is no doubt that Kobe Bryant still feels he NEEDS just one more run. However, building a team to bring Kobe a championship will not be an easy task. Let’s not forget that the Lakers won just 21 games last year, so winning a championship is hard to imagine in the near future, but when you’re the Los Angeles Lakers, luck seems to always seems to be a factor.
-== Best Lakers Draft Pick & Free Agent Pairings ==-
One thing that I have not bought into is that Kobe is 100% going to retire after next season. If the Lakers score big in free agency, and look like a championship team for the 2016-2017 season, Kobe would definitely consider re-signing for a very small amount of cash. That’s another factor in speeding up the rebuilding process. At some point Kobe is going to have to let his ego aside, and take the money that he is worth, which won’t be as much as he’d like. I mean seriously, the guy is making 25 million dollars next year to shoot 35% from the floor and play defense when he chooses.
Another factor in this process is that somewhere down the line, the Lakers are going to part ways with Nick Young. There is absolutely no way that the Lakers will continue to pay the inefficient and selfish player five million dollars each year through 2018. I will include his contract for next year, but after that I am not keeping his money in the team payroll. I don’t know if he will be traded, or who he will be traded for, but he will be gone after next year.
Step 1: Draft D’Angelo Russell
Drafting Karl-Anthony Towns would make this process so much easier. The Lakers would not have to worry about finding a defensive anchor, which is an essential hole to fill in the rebuilding process. However, Minnesota will likely select Towns with the number one overall pick, leaving the Lakers with some options. Like I stated in my recent article, Jahlil Okafor’s inability to protect the rim is what gives Russell the upper edge as a potential franchise building block. Sure Russell isn’t a great defender himself, but having one or two average perimeter defenders can be negated with an elite rim protector, it can’t go the other way around.
Drafting Okafor would mean that the Lakers would have to sign elite defenders from then on, meaning no Kevin Love or Lamarcus Aldridge. It would be too hard to build a team knowing that rim protection will constantly be an isssue.
Russell can play either guard position, as he will quickly put himself into the category of the most skilled players in the league. If the Lakers don’t trade down or up, they must have the best player available mentality, which is where Russell becomes the easy choice. There is little risk in taking Russell, as his unique skill set should translate rather nicely. Guys like Emmanuel Mudiay and Kristaps Porzingis are huge risks at the number two pick. If the Lakers want to win a championship in the near future, they must go with the safe pick: Russell.
Next: What to do with Jordan Hill