Lakers Lower Expectations Despite Rare Pick

Phil Jackson left Friday for his lakeside home in Montana, where he will be rooted for two weeks. By the time he returns, the Laker roster will have received an infusion of youth from tonight’s draft.

When and whether potential becomes prowess are always the questions on draft day, but the Lakers have three of the first 39 picks, their most concentrated number of selections since 1979. They can go a variety of directions with their No. 10 overall pick, and also hold Nos. 37 and 39, the seventh and ninth picks of the second round.

The Lakers have not drafted this high since taking Eddie Jones 10th overall in 1994, and, actively seeking help in the post and at point guard, have worked out 54 players at their El Segundo facility, almost double what’s normal.

Relatively inexperienced in this top-10 draft thing, the Lakers have tried to move up to take high school forward Gerald Green, Illinois point guard Deron Williams or Arizona center Channing Frye, but General Manager Mitch Kupchak said they probably would stay at No. 10, where there have been some hits in recent years -- Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson and Jason Terry -- but probably no instant starters this year.

“I think it’s unlikely that any player drafted 10 through 20 would make an immediate impact,” Kupchak said. “You hope that he can play a little bit, make a contribution. If you’re a top four or five pick, you’ll probably get a guy who’s going to start for you.”

Jackson, rehired two weeks ago by a franchise that cast him adrift a year ago, believes the Lakers need to get stronger and more physical. He rarely budgets playing time for rookies, but a post player is probably the direction the Lakers will turn in a first round that is vastly unpredictable. The Portland Trail Blazers’ No. 3 pick is expected to go to the highest bidder, causing a trickle-down effect from there.

Assuming the Lakers stay put and go big, Fran Vazquez is an aggressive 6-foot-10 power forward from Spain who doesn’t mind contact and tries to dunk almost every time in the post, if only to avoid using his erratic outside shot. At 22, he would be one of the oldest lottery picks.

Connecticut forward Charlie Villanueva, brought in on the final day of Laker workouts Friday, is a 6-9 sophomore with good passing skills and a strong basketball IQ, but he is sometimes in cruise control and plays in spurts. He led the Huskies with 13.6 points and was second with 8.3 rebounds.

It is unlikely the Lakers would draft a high school player, Kupchak said, but there could be two waiting when their turn comes: 6-11 center Andrew Bynum of Metuchen, N.J., and 6-6 small forward Martell Webster of Seattle.

If the Lakers go for a point guard, Chris Paul of Wake Forest and Williams are top-five picks, leaving North Carolina junior Raymond Felton, Georgia Tech junior Jarrett Jack and Roko Ukic of Croatia as other first-round possibilities.

Felton is fast but undersized at 5 feet 11 1/2 , and Ukic and Jack are pegged for later in the first round. Felton led the Atlantic Coast Conference in two categories, averaging 6.9 assists and shooting 44% from three-point range.

The Lakers’ later picks are difficult to project given the historical fluidity of the second round, but some possibilities are Washington guard Nate Robinson, short and swift in the mold of Tyronn Lue, and Kentucky center Randolph Morris, a project who averaged 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds as a freshman.

The Lakers received the No. 37 pick from the Charlotte Bobcats as part of the Kareem Rush trade in December.

Only four second-round selections since 1995 have become All-Stars: Washington Wizard guard Gilbert Arenas, Milwaukee Buck guard Michael Redd, San Antonio Spur guard Manu Ginobili and Seattle SuperSonic forward Rashard Lewis.

The Lakers, picking primarily in the mid-20s after long playoff runs, have had only two picks over the last 10 years become even part-time starters for them: Devean George and Derek Fisher. (Kobe Bryant, taken No. 13 overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, was a draft-day acquisition for Vlade Divac.)

The Lakers took Fisher at No. 24 in 1996, Sam Jacobsen 26th in 1998, George 23rd in 1999, Mark Madsen 29th in 2000, Chris Jeffries 27th in 2002 (traded on draft day for Rush), Brian Cook 24th in 2003 and Sasha Vujacic 27th last year.

The last time they had three picks in the top 40, the Lakers took Magic Johnson No. 1 overall, Brad Holland No. 14 and Oliver Mack No. 25.

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NBA draft order

The Milwaukee Bucks would have picked sixth if they had not beaten the odds (6.3% chance of obtaining the first selection) and been awarded the top pick in the draft, which will be held tonight in New York (4:30 p.m. PDT, ESPN). The order:

*--* No. Team No. Team 1. Milwaukee 31. Atlanta 2. Atlanta 32. Clippers-g 3. Portland 33. New Orleans 4. New Orleans 34. Utah 5. Charlotte 35. Portland 6. Utah 36. Milwaukee 7. Toronto 37. Lakers-h 8. New York 38. Orlando-i 9. Golden State 39. Lakers 10. Lakers 40. Golden State 11. Orlando 41. Toronto-j 12. Clippers 42. Golden State-k 13. Charlotte-a 43. New Jersey 14. Minnesota 44. Orlando-l 15. New Jersey 45. Philadelphia 16. Toronto-b 46. Indiana 17. Indiana 47. Minnesota 18. Boston 48. Seattle-m 19. Memphis 49. Washington 20. Denver-c 50. Boston 21. Phoenix-d 51. Utah-n 22. Denver 52. Denver 23. Sacramento 53. Boston-o 24. Houston 54. New York-p 25. Seattle 55. Seattle 26. Detroit 56. Detroit 27. Utah-e 57. Phoenix-q 28. San Antonio 58. Toronto-r 29. Miami 59. Atlanta-s 30. New York-f 60. Detroit-t a-from Cleveland; b-from Philadelphia through Denver and New Jersey; c-from Washington through Orlando; d-from Chicago; e-from Dallas; f-from Phoenix through San Antonio; g-from Charlotte; h-from New York through Atlanta and Charlotte; i-from Toronto; j-from Orlando; k-from Clippers via New Jersey; l-from Cleveland; m-from Memphis; n-from Chicago through Houston; o-from Sacramento; p-from Houston; q-from Dallas through New Orleans; r-from Miami; s-from San Antonio; t-from Phoenix through Philadelphia and Utah

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