Lakers News

"The Lakers signed free agent forward Josh Powell on Thursday. Terms of the contract were not released. The 6-foot-9 Powell, a three-year NBA veteran, spent last season with the Clippers, averaging 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 64 games. After going undrafted in 2003, Powell spent two seasons overseas, where he played in both the Italian and Russian basketball leagues. Prior to the 2005-06 season, Powell was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Mavericks where he averaged 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 37 games."

"Kobe Bryant is bigger in China than the Great Wall. How could a billion Chinese be so wrong? Not to question the taste of a country that loves everything American, from quarter-pound cheeseburgers to classic punk rock, but this 24/7, camera-clicking, name-chanting worship of Bryant by the local masses at the Olympics might be the strangest foreign love affair with a U.S. pop icon since the French decided Jerry Lewis was a comic genius. Sure, the man can hoop. But he's not exactly the finest example of American virtue. So why does China go absolutely gaga for Kobe? "I can't explain it," Bryant told me Wednesday. That makes two of us. The Chinese don't want to be like Michael Jordan or Brad ..."

"Kobe Bryant is bigger in China than the Great Wall. How could a billion Chinese be so wrong? Not to question the taste of a country that loves everything American from quarter-pound cheeseburgers to classic punk rock, but this 24/7, camera-clicking, name-chanting worship of Bryant by the local masses at the Olympics might be the strangest foreign love affair with a U.S. pop icon since the French decided Jerry Lewis was a comic genius. Sure, the man can hoop. But he's not exactly the finest example of American virtue. So why does China go absolutely gaga for Kobe? "I can't explain it," Bryant told me Wednesday. That makes two of us. The Chinese don't want to be like Michael Jordan or Brad ..."

"Is Kobe Bryant guilty of premature posturing? At the very least, he gets the bad timing award for telling the worldwide media, during a USA Basketball news conference Friday in Beijing, that he would consider signing with a pro team in Italy if offered a $50 million salary when he becomes a free agent next summer. "I'd go. I'd probably go," Bryant said when asked by a Boston Globe reporter if he would think about playing in Europe, as Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James earlier hinted he would do for an outrageous contract. "Like Milan or something like that, where I grew up ... "Do you know any reasonable person that would turn down 50 (million dollars)?" The Lakers brass - especially ..."

"His giant arms have embraced championships, punched defeats, clutched stardom, shoved frustration, been marked with every sort of tattoo and twist and tear. Yet marching into National Stadium for the Olympic opening ceremony Friday, Kobe Bryant looked down and saw something new. Goose bumps. "First time ever," he said. And for his next act, the coldblooded superstar has become a bouncy public patriot, wearing his flag the way he once wore his glare. Kobe Bryant with goose bumps is like the Great Wall with graffiti, but it works. Red, white and human, he has never looked better. "This has a greater significance than anything I've ever been part of," he said at the U.S. Olympic basketball ..."

"The Lakers and their 2007 second-round draft pick Sun Yue agreed to terms, the team announced. Lakers spokesman John Black said Friday that the deal could be signed within the next few days. Last season, Sun played with Aoshen, a Beijing club team, and with the Chinese national team. On Sunday, Sun will play alongside Houston Rockets center Yao Ming for the Chinese team against the United States in the Olympic opener in Beijing. The 6-foot-9 Sun has traditionally played point guard, but Black said the Lakers would primarily use him as a shooting guard. "For us, he probably would play more at the two-guard simply because that's a less crowded spot for us," Black said. Black said Sun's ..."

"The Lakers and point guard Sun Yue have agreed to terms on a two-season contract, the team confirmed Thursday. The Lakers hope to sign Sun formally within the next few days, team spokesman John Black said. "Hopefully, it will get done soon," Black said. Sun, known as the Chinese Magic Johnson because of his eye-catching playmaking ability, will face his future teammate Kobe Bryant when China plays the United States on Sunday in the Olympic Games opener in Beijing. The Lakers drafted the 6-foot-9, 212-pound Sun in the second round in 2007. He spent last season with Aoshen, his Beijing club team, and also played with the Chinese National team in preparation for the Olympics. In addition, he ..."

"The NBA gave its fans an early holiday present when it announced its regular-season schedule Wednesday. The Lakers will play their longtime nemesis, the league champion Boston Celtics, in a Christmas Day grudge match at Staples Center. Don't expect a lot of holiday cheer. Boston defeated the Lakers last June to win its 17th title. The Celtics' Paul Pierce was named the MVP of The Finals, then boasted last month he, rather than regular-season MVP Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, was "the best player in the world." The Lakers visit Boston on Feb. 5. The Lakers open the season with a home game against Greg Oden and the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 28. They will face the new-look Clippers the next ..."

"The NBA released its schedule today, and the Lakers will open their 2008-09 season by hosting Greg Oden and the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Meanwhile, the Clippers, with new point guard Baron Davis, begin their season by hosting the Lakers on Oct. 29. On Christmas Day, the Lakers will play the NBA champion Boston Celtics at Staples at 2 p.m. in an ABC game, one of five nationally televised NBA games that day. Other highlights: the Phoenix Suns, and Shaquille O'Neal, play here against the Lakers on Wednesday, Dec. 10; the Minnesota Timberwolves, with former UCLA star Kevin Love, play the Lakers at Staples on Sunday, Dec. 14; and LeBron James and the ..."

"The NBA today released its complete game schedule and broadcast schedules of ABC, TNT, ESPN and NBA on ESPN Radio for the 2008-09 season. The NBA's Countdown to Tip-Off 08 presented by Kia Motors has begun with opening night 83 days away. The 2008-09 season tips off on TNT, which marks Turner Sports’ 25th season of NBA game action, with a doubleheader on Tuesday, Oct. 28, that features the Boston Celtics opening up defense of their NBA championship by hosting 2007-08 NBA scoring champion LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers at 8 p.m. ET. The second game features the first regular season game for the top overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft presented by Sprite Greg Oden and the ..."

"Bright lights, extremely big city. If Macao was indistinguishable from Las Vegas, at least from inside the massive Venetian Macao, the U.S. Olympic basketball team's arrival in this sprawling monument to urbanization, with its spectacular high rises and its estimated 20 million inhabitants, marked the moment the Americans, like Alice, went down the rabbit hole. En route to Beijing, the U.S. team is spending four days here and playing its final two exhibitions, the first of which was Sunday afternoon's uneventful 89-68 romp over Russia with Kobe Bryant leading all scorers with 19 points. The U.S. will play Australia here Tuesday, then go to Beijing, with the opener against China still four ..."

"The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent guard Dwayne Mitchell, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released. Mitchell, a 6’5” 220-pound guard out of Louisiana Lafayette, played the majority of last season for the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League before leaving in February to join Brose Baskets Bamberg in Germany. In 31 games including 29 starts with the Energy, Mitchell averaged 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.60 steals in 37.3 minutes, earning a spot in the 2008 D-League All-Star game. In 20 games with Bamberg, Mitchell, 25, averaged 10.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists while shooting .504 from the field. Most recently, ..."

"Sweat rolled down the sides of his face. Ice bags adorned both knees. He was still catching his breath. Yet, Robert "Tractor" Traylor never felt better. The NBA journeyman has just worked out for the Lakers at Hangar Athletic Xchange in Hawthorne, looking for another shot at the NBA and couldn't hide his excitement. A team, not just any team either, was giving him a chance. With Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak watching, Traylor participated in drills alongside players 10 years younger and managed to stay with them. Kupchak, while declining to comment on individual players, did say they "all looked good." The Lakers are in the market for a big, physical body inside and, at 6-foot-9, 300 pounds, ..."

"Opening the Asian phase of its exhibition season, the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team will play Thursday night (today, 5 a.m. PDT). Wait! Come back! If this sounds purely ceremonial, it was in this game -- the first exhibition overseas for Coach Larry Brown's team in 2004 on its way to Athens -- that Italy routed the U.S., 95-78, in Cologne, Germany. This presaged the Americans' Olympic debacle. The U.S. managed to win a bronze medal but lost three games -- one more than all the previous teams had lost, put together. Ominous precedent notwithstanding, this is no powerhouse for Turkey with center Mehmet Okur not participating and Hedo Turkoglu's availability in question. This U.S. team ..."

"In the beginning, there was Isaiah Rider. A few off-seasons later came free agents Karl Malone, Gary Payton and Horace Grant (again) to the Lakers. Suddenly, General Manager Mitch Kupchak was in the running for Executive of the Year. Kupchak's dream team reached the 2004 NBA Finals that season, but the heavily favored Lakers lost to Detroit in five games. The team's collapse would resonate into the off-season. Malone had knee surgery, considered signing with another team, but ultimately retired. Coach Phil Jackson quit. Kobe threatened to opt out and sign with the Clippers. Shaquille O'Neal was traded. Rudy Tomjanovich was hired. Kupchak said that off-season was by far the toughest. ..."

"Cards turning. Dice rolling. Posh theme hotels with replicas of world landmarks -- would you believe Fisherman's Wharf Macao? -- and the obligatory faux volcano. The U.S. men's basketball team is home, all right. Leaving nothing to chance, Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his players opened the Asian phase of their preparation Monday -- 11 days before the opening ceremony in Beijing -- in the usual style. According to the Eleventh Commandment handed down in 1992 when NBA players began Olympic play, no U.S. team can ever be out of sight of a five-star hotel, a casino or, preferably, both. The original 1992 Dream Team trained in Monte Carlo before the Barcelona Games. This team, which hopes to ..."

"There was one thing Sasha Vujacic insisted that Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak keep out of his new three-year, $15-million contract with the team -- a haircut clause. "It's not actually the hair that bothered me the most," Kupchak said at a news conference Monday. "It was that net, or whatever that is. The hair's OK actually Before Vujacic signed his contract, the restricted free-agent backup guard was prepared last week to play in Russia, unless the Lakers came up with an acceptable deal. They did, and even though Vujacic, 24, said he could have signed a more lucrative deal in Russia, his No. 1 priority was to stay with the Lakers and help win the championship that eluded them this ..."

"One day after threatening to bolt the Lakers to play for a team in Russia unless he received a multiyear deal for $5 million a season, reserve guard Sasha Vujacic got his wish, reaching a verbal agreement on a three-year, $15-million deal. "Sasha will stay with the Lakers," said his agent, Rob Pelinka, "and play a pivotal role in hopefully bringing a title to the team next season." Vujacic, a restricted free agent who made $1.76 million last season, was given a qualifying offer of $2.6 million by the Lakers before the start of the free-agency period to retain his rights. He did not sign an offer sheet with another team. Pelinka and Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak had been in ..."

"Lakers center Andrew Bynum was in Los Angeles earlier this week, working for the Lakers team doctors and was cleared for everything, according to his agent David Lee. Bynum is now down in Atlanta working out with his personal trainer. The Lakers, Lee said, have a standing invitation toin on Bynum down in Atlanta and see his progress. "He's absolutely fine, he's going to come in as a beast," Lee said. "He's got no atrophy anywhere. The kid's in great shape. Maybe it comes with being 20 years of age." As for the negotiations on Bynum's contract status, Lee said that the discussions have been tabled until September. "We aren't going to talk again until September until they have a chance to ..."

"The NBA's burgeoning trade deficit just took a troubling turn Thursday. At least as far as the Lakers are concerned. Just days after Atlanta Hawks guard Josh Childress shocked the NBA to sign a lucrative, three-year deal with the Greek team Olympiakos, rumblings began surfacing about European clubs being interested in Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said Thursday that he was still "hopeful we can make a deal sometime in the near future," but acknowledged that there was concern about European teams making a pitch to Vujacic. "There is a vibrant European market that we're aware of, much more so of late," Kupchak said."I don't think it'll go away soon. Until ..."

"On the heels of adding point guard Marcus Williams, the Warriors have reportedly added free agent forward Maurice Evans, who played for both the Lakers and Magic last season. Golden State has signed Evans to a three-year, $6.4 million deal, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise. By adding Evans, it more than likely means the Warriors will not match the three-year, $9 million contract restricted free agent Kelenna Azubuike signed with the Los Angeles Clippers last week. Golden State have until Friday to match Azubuike's deal, but Evans represents a cheaper _ and perhaps better _ alternative."

"The Los Angeles Lakers held tryouts for the 2008 Laker Girls on Saturday. A crowd of about 500 women showed up to the Toyota Sports Center to be considered for the squad. The Laker Girl hopefuls were whittled down to 176 dancers at the first cut, which will be further cut to between 30-50 finalists after Saturday's tryouts. From there, they'll make selections based on interviews and another dance tryout."

"Kobe Bryant has won games and NBA titles and fans along the way. He has a lucrative contract, money-spinning endorsements and moves envied by players around the world. Now Bryant is going after the one thing he doesn't own, something that could earn him, and the other 11 members of the U.S. National basketball team, the respect it lost four years ago – an Olympic gold medal. The United States, a perennial powerhouse in international basketball, lost its swagger four years ago, when the Americans finished preliminary play at 3-2 and then were forced to settle for a bronze medal after losing to Argentina in the semifinals."

"A little over a month ago, Kobe Bryant returned home from Boston, a day removed from the worst series-clinching loss in NBA Finals history, and decided to give the city, and his teammates, a break this summer. Bryant was cool. No fireworks from him this summer. Feel free to book a flight and grab a tan somewhere. The NBA was officially tabled until October. Most years, the Clippers would've been happy to oblige, making their lottery pick and fading into the background. But some strange things happened on the way to a normal offseason. Then some more strange things happened"

"Restricted free agent forward-center Ronny Turiaf officially became a member of the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, his four-season, $17-million contract simply too rich for the Lakers to match by the 9 p.m. deadline. The Lakers now will turn their attention to re-signing another restricted free agent, guard Sasha Vujacic, general manager Mitch Kupchak said. Kupchak had hoped to retain Turiaf and Vujacic, members of the Lakers' so-called "Bench Mob.""

"Ronny Turiaf has expended his last burst of energy as a Laker.As expected, General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced Friday the Lakers will not match the four-year, $17-million offer sheet Turiaf signed a week ago with the Golden State Warriors."

"Like other NBA players, Jordan Farmar will head overseas this summer, only with a different mission -- to facilitate peace in the Middle East.The Lakers' guard, who is Jewish, will travel to Israel to run basketball camps for Israeli and Palestinian children in association with the Peres Peace Center. The goal of the camps, which take place Aug. 4 to 11, is to bring Israeli and Palestinian children together through basketball and create a foundation for peaceful relations between them in years to come."

"Lakers forward Luke Walton will undergo surgery Friday to remove bone spurs from his right ankle, the team announced today.The surgery will be performed in Los Angeles by Dr. David Thordarson. The Lakers said they would issue an update, including an estimate for Walton's recovery time, after the surgery."

"The Warriors will introduce new forward Corey Maggette at a basketball camp in Alameda today, and another welcoming may not be far behind. Golden State officially put the Lakers on the clock Thursday by signing Ronny Turiaf, their restricted free agent forward, to an offer sheet worth $17 million over four years. If the Lakers do not match the offer by Thursday, Turiaf will become the third player this summer to switch posts between Los Angeles and Oakland."

"The Lakers are in wait-and-see mode regarding Ronny Turiaf, who has agreed to a four-year, $17 million deal with the Warriors. General Manager Mitch Kupchak said the team hadn't received any documents from Turiaf's representatives as of Wednesday afternoon. Turiaf's agent, Mark Bartelstein, said the Lakers will get the documents today. "If everything goes right and there are no issues, I told Mitch we will send him the offer sheet tomorrow," Bartelstein said by phone. If the Lakers get the offer sheet today, they would have seven days to decide whether to match the offer and keep Turiaf."

"General Manager Mitch Kupchak has heard the rumors that Lakers forward Ronny Turiaf received an offer sheet from the Golden State Warriors. He hasn't seen proof, though. Kupchak said Wednesday that he has not received by fax or registered mail notification that Turiaf, a restricted free agent, has signed with another team. "A lot of times where there's smoke, there's fire and I don't know if that's the case here," Kupchak said Wednesday "I'm aware of the rumors, but my understanding of the process is that we have to be notified with a document, and there's been no document or notification — written or verbally." Turiaf reportedly agreed to a four-year, $17 million offer from ..."

"Lakers center Andrew Bynum is set to begin his offseason workouts next week in the heat and humidity of Atlanta, more than six months after suffering a season-ending left kneecap injury during a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Sean Zarzana, Bynum's personal trainer, said Tuesday afternoon they would begin offseason workouts "pretty much full bore" next week. There was no lingering pain or inflammation in Bynum's kneecap, Zarzana added."

"The Lakers have plenty to do in the coming weeks what with free agency, draft picks and the summer league starting. Yet in addition to re-signing Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf, watching newly drafted rookie Joe Crawford participate in Las Vegas, and keeping an eye on trades and free agents, the Lakers are hoping to sign Sun Yue. Who is Sun Yue? The 6-foot-9 point guard was the Lakers' second-round draft pick last year, but he stayed overseas, where will play on the Chinese national team this summer."

"The Lakers continue to take part in a slow-speed chase, waiting to see whether Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf receive offers from other teams that would price the restricted free agents out of the Lakers' comfort zone.Last week, the Lakers made one-year qualifying offers to Vujacic for $2.6 million and Turiaf for $1 million, though both players are seeking longer-term deals worth more money. They are each trying to bring a signed offer sheet from another team to the Lakers, who will then have seven days to match."

"The Lakers continue to wait for Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf, but they have fall-back plans in case their restricted free agents don't re-sign with them.The Lakers have talked with representatives of Boston small forward James Posey and veteran San Antonio sharpshooter Brent Barry to gauge the free agents' interest. Posey, a key reserve for the Celtics, is expected to draw the full mid-level exception of five years and about $30 million, though the Celtics have said they consider signing him an off-season priority."

"Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak planned to scratch off two high priority items from his summer to-do list Monday night. He said he would telephone the agents for guard Sasha Vujacic and forward Ronny Turiaf to talk about new contracts. The free agent negotiating period began at 9 p.m., and Kupchak did not wish to waste a minute before contacting the representatives for the two restricted free agents, who were key members of the Lakers' so-called "Bench Mob" last season. Kupchak made it clear he wants Vujacic and Turiaf back next season, preferring to retain their services rather than sign unrestricted free agents to replace them. He extended qualifying offers to each player ..."

"David Stern is a smart guy. Smart guys know when they have a problem. Even smarter guys know when there is a blueprint to fix it. Stern, commissioner of the National Basketball Assn., has a problem of public perception -- and that makes it a huge problem, because the public creates the buzz that pays the bills. Deep down, fans don't believe there is a conspiracy to help the big teams. Deep down, the fans think it is subtle, unspoken and not discouraged by those at the top, a.k.a. Stern. Which brings us to the blueprint of how to fix this. All Stern has to do is walk down the street in Manhattan to the office of the commissioner of Major League Baseball, sit down with Bud ..."

"The Lakers started their pursuit of Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf when free agency began Monday night, with General Manager Mitch Kupchak lobbing phone calls to representatives for both restricted free agents. Neither player agreed to terms with the Lakers as of late Monday night, though the team could match any offer from another team. Earlier Monday, they established right of first refusal by giving qualifying one-year offers to Vujacic ($2.6 million for next season) and Turiaf ($1 million)."

"Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak is expected to be on the phone shortly after 9 p.m. Monday when the NBA free agency period begins. First he will call Sasha Vujacic's agent. After getting some idea of which way the restricted free agent is leaning, Kupchak then will dial Ronny Turiaf's agent. Both players are restricted free agents, meaning the Lakers can match any offer sheet they sign with another team. Kupchak is hoping to avoid that scenario by re-signing the two."

"Earvin "Magic" Johnson announced his arrival as a businessman 13 years ago, when he took part in an unusual meeting with gang leaders from the Bloods and the Crips.At the time, Johnson was building a movie theater in Baldwin Hills. Would the gang members, Johnson asked, be kind enough not to shoot it up? "I just laid it out to them that I'm building this theater for the community," Johnson, the former Lakers basketball standout, recalled from his seventh-floor office in Beverly Hills. "You can't have anything happen at this theater because we're going to hire your cousins, your mothers, your sons and daughters. You come in here and shoot up the place, it might be your own relatives ..."

"The game is the same, as is the goal: win it all and bring home a gold medal from the Beijing Summer Games. Kobe Bryant sat down with The Times on Sunday to talk about Team USA before departing for New York, where he and his U.S. teammates -- including Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade -- will be formally introduced during a promotional tour."

"The Lakers, for their part, are well over the salary cap and cannot sign any big names on other teams, so they hope to retain two of their own players, Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf. Both are restricted free agents, meaning the Lakers can match any offer sheet they sign with another team.Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak recently said he would call Vujacic's agent immediately after free agency begins at 9 p.m. The Lakers also will try to keep Turiaf but are willing to spend more money to bring back Vujacic, who might receive a payday of close to $5 million a year."

"It was a mellow Thursday night out here in the Pacifist Division compared to the rest of the league. The orderly Warriors, subtle Kings, understated Suns, modest Clippers and dormant Lakers stayed out of the madness of draft-day trades. Instead, the national news was the Grizzlies-Timberwolves deal with lottery picks O.J. Mayo and Kevin Love, the Nets-Bucks deal with Yi Jianlian and Richard Jefferson and the hyperactive Trail Blazers as part of five swaps. Darrell Arthur was drafted by New Orleans but immediately went to Portland (of course) in a predraft deal. From Portland, Arthur was dealt to Houston and then to Memphis."

"It's all tidy-didy, nifty-thrifty, cuckoo-riffic that the Pacific-10 Conference stole much of the juice in Thursday's NBA draft, but if the conference starts to snap its tank tops about having a reputation as the most attractive destination point for one-and-done pro prospects, what's the long-term affect for member schools' academic reputations? Does the focus shift to more of what can you do for me now rather than how does a kid benefit from sticking around and receiving a (possibily devalued) sheepskin?"

"One more time . . . Navigating the usual signs of impending doom, the NBA had a fine season, capped as it was by a storybook Finals matchup -- anticlimactic as it turned out -- that was remarkable just because it was unimaginable a year ago at this time. A year ago Kobe Bryant was en fuego. Boston General Manager Danny Ainge and Coach Doc Rivers, who were counting on Greg Oden or, at least, Kevin Durant after their 24-58 nightmare, saw No. 5 come up in the lottery and sank into their chairs.The young Lakers should be in business for a while, and if the NBA and the Lakers are lucky, the veteran Celtics should be OK too."

"Famously, or infamously, back in the early days of his career, Kobe Bryant was an aspiring rapper, even releasing an album.There will be no picking up a microphone again for him, however. Bryant's response to former teammate Shaquille O'Neal's lambasting him in an obscenity-laced rap freestyle at a New York nightclub?No response. "I didn't take it any kind of way whatsoever," Bryant said Saturday, before declining to take any more questions on the topic."

"Let's play a little game: I'll describe an athlete's childish body of work, franchise-wrecking ego and bullying ways. Then you tell me who the jerk is. He has bad-mouthed three franchises in his rush out their doors, leaving a trail of dismantled hopes and awful messes to clean up. Nope, not Terrell Owens. He has been an equal-opportunity whiner throughout his career, running off small-name coaches and ripping Hall of Fame ones. Nope, not Randy Moss. His ego landed him in a firestorm that his media chums, public-relations charm and championship rings can't seem to douse. Nope, not Roger Clemens. Which brings us, uncomfortably, to the correct answer: Shaquille O'Neal. Does ..."

"It was the Lakers' turn, finally, 4 hours and 20 minutes into the NBA draft. It took a while to get there, the Lakers sitting out the first round because they sent the 28th pick to Memphis as part of the Pau Gasol trade, but they eventually selected Kentucky guard Joe Crawford with the 58th pick Thursday. Crawford, 6 feet 4, averaged 17.9 points a game and shot 36.4% from three-point range in his senior season at Kentucky. Like every second-round pick, he does not get a guaranteed contract."

"It might seem on the surface, or depending on how many mock drafts you've sorted through in the past few weeks, that this is a two-man draft, the consensus opinion being that Memphis point guard Derrick Rose and Kansas State forward Michael Beasley are this year's version of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. But for those who have followed this talented draft class for more than the past few months, it's anything but. "I've said all along, since I first saw these guys at my ABCD camps, that this class will be the best, top-to-bottom, since 1989," said Sonny Vaccaro, who ran the prestigious ABCD scouting camps until 2007. "There may not be a Kobe Bryant or LeBron James, or even a Kevin ..."