Lakers Go Shopping for Bench Strength

The Lakers will choose a player from a college or high school or foreign country tonight who will practice two hours a day and sit at the end of their bench on game nights.

The NBA draft is bigger news in other towns and for other franchises.

Assuming they stay in, the Lakers will be involved in the draft for the first time since selecting Mark Madsen in the first round, 29th overall, two years ago. They choose 27th, meaning 113 players will have been drafted and two championships will have been won between Laker picks.

They are hoping first for a player who can be a reserve center or power forward, though the best of them are expected to be gone long before the telephone rings on General Manager Mitch Kupchak’s desk in El Segundo, and it appears unlikely the Lakers will trade up for something better.

Their second preference is for a Phil Jackson signature point guard, which is not a real point guard at all. Think Ron Harper or Brian Shaw. If not, then a shooting guard that would allow Kobe Bryant some wing time. And, then, they could lose small forward Devean George to free agency, so they could use some help there ...

“Typically it’s unlikely you’ll get an impact player at 27,” Kupchak said. “But we feel there’ll be a player available down there. We’ve always done pretty well late in the draft.”

They have considered the likes of David Andersen, a 7-foot Australian center, Kentucky forward Tayshaun Prince, Fresno State forward Chris Jefferies, Inglewood High forward DeAngelo Collins, Yugoslavian guard Mladen Sekularac, Stanford guard Casey Jacobsen, Czech guard Jiri Welsch and Maryland guard Juan Dixon, among others.

What they probably won’t acquire tonight might be found among summer free agents, though by all accounts that group is thin, making it possible--even likely--that a Laker four-peat will be attempted with less talent than the three-peat was accomplished. The Lakers will attempt to re-sign George, but not recklessly.

More likely, they’ll wave at least part of their $4.6 million mid-level exception at San Antonio Spur free-agent forward Malik Rose, with the expectation that the Spurs will spend more freely to re-sign him. Toronto forward Keon Clark is a restricted free agent and attractive, but expected to re-sign with the Raptors.

That could leave a group that includes Charles Oakley and Rodney Rogers.

A trade also is a possibility, particularly if someone comes asking for Lindsey Hunter.

The sense in the Laker front office, however, is that teams--especially those in the Western Conference--are loathe to take part in a transaction that might improve the three-time champions.