Lakers Eyeing Collison?

ESPN’s NBA Draft guru Chad Ford is predicting that the Lakers will select UCLA product Darren Collison with the 29th pick in this Thursday’s NBA Draft.  Collison played point guard for four years under Ben Howland and is a well-known player in the Los Angeles area.  “Collison is a small guard, something Phil Jackson isn’t a big fan of,” Ford writes.  ”But he is super fast, has a smooth jumper and can get after it defensively.  With Derek Fisher winding down his career, he’s worth a gamble here.”  Collison was once seen as a potential lottery pick, but saw his draft stock slide a bit in the past two years.

Collison doesn’t fit the Phil Jackson mold, as the Zen Master likes big guards, but it’s not even set in stone that Jackson will be back coaching the Lakers next season.  Then again, Derek Fisher is a small guard and won Jackson over with his solid play, hustle and smarts.  Those are three things that Collison can bring to the table as he’s was a productive player in each of the four seasons he played at UCLA.  Collison averaged 14 points, five assists and two rebounds per game in his senior season.  He also added a steal and a half per game while shooting good percentages across the board.

Get all your Los Angeles Lakers tickets at StubHub.

Permalink - Posted in General on June 23, 2009 - Post a comment