While the Lakers remain without a coach, Doc Rivers has assumed the role of president of basketball operations with the Clippers. The Lakers, with the No. 7 pick and a bare bones roster, figure to be considerably more busy as the offseason unfolds. Here’s a rundown of the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers and Kings are the lottery teams most receptive to making a deal with their draft picks, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
- Warriors director of scouting Larry Riley updates Diamond Leung of Bay Area News Group on the prospects for Golden State’s Ognjen Kuzmic and Nemanja Nedovic next year. “Kuzmic is long,” Riley said. “You know, if you ask me which one of them has a better chance that in three years, they’re a player who’s a roster player who’s a contributor, I’d probably go with the big guy, but I still wouldn’t give up on Nedovic…I think they can contribute short minutes. They’re still developing, and they have to get better in order to do any more than play short minutes.”
- Suns GM Ryan McDonough tells Suns.com that Phoenix won’t draft a player based solely on his ability to contribute immediately. “Just because we were close to the playoffs, we’re not going to draft a guy just because he’s able to play right away,” McDonough said. “I think that’s where a lot of mistakes get made.”