Elsewhere, not much noise from the Lakers on draft day
yesterday, mostly because the team did not have a first-round pick and took Kentucky's Joe Crawford
with the 58th pick. Before you dismiss the idea of him making the team, keep in mind the Lakers have
had recent success while drafting in the second round (Luke Walton and Ronny Turiaf, to name
two).

Check out an href="http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Joe-Crawford-219/">in-depth scouting report on
Crawford from the pre-draft camp in Orlando earlier this month:

Crawford’s
spot-up jump shot has very good form, boasting a fairly deliberate release (but not in a bad way),
with near textbook mechanics and a high and consistent release point. It’s important to note,
though, that this is only talking about his spot-up jumper, as his mechanics don’t stay quite so
great when he’s pulling up off the dribble, contested, or coming around a screen. He doesn’t do
a great job keeping his feet underneath him when coming around a screen or when he’s contested,
throwing his balance off and resulting in some questionable shots. He also can rush his mechanics at
times when contested, and is prone to not holding his follow through in these situations. His
shooting percentages fall off considerably when he’s contested, though not very much when he’s
pulling up off the dribble in space.

In terms of the rest of his offense, Crawford does a good
job finishing off cuts and in transition using his leaping ability and ability to adjust in traffic.
He’s a decent ball-handler and a decent passer, though is by no means a point guard, and it’s
questionable if he stands out enough in any one area to find a niche in the
league.

Defensively, Crawford plays a fundamentally sound, focused, and aggressive game, doing
a good job with both on and off ball defense. Off the ball, he doesn’t give up and always contests
shots, though he has some trouble getting around screens, as most college players do. On the ball,
he has good lateral quickness and reflexes, while doing a very good job moving his feet and
pressuring his man, rarely getting beat off the dribble or giving up an open shot. At 6’4, he
could have some trouble guarding 2’s at the next level.

Watch as he is
announced as the Lakers pick, and see some college highlights href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=0RPdCpjRwxg">here.

Finally, NBA free agency begins on
Monday night at 9:01 PT. And it sounds like the first call Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak will make will be
href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-sp-lakers27-2008jun27,0,5994985.story">
to Sasha Vujacic:

"I intend to contact him at 9:01 on Monday night," Kupchak
said.