By Cameron Zargar

The Lakers are beginning to heat up and are, almost certainly, in position to make the playoffs. And, most experts agree that the team can be expected to put it all together and be as dangerous as they've been in the recent past. But lets examine some of their needs, and consider players who could help make their return to the top a bit easier.

Consider that they might benefit from acquiring forward Austin Croshere of Indiana. When the Pacers re-signed him after the 2000 NBA Finals, they expected him to be a big building block for the future. Since then, he has been a big disappointment and the Pacers have so many other young, talented big men that they have no place for him anymore. By trading Croshere, the Pacers could free up a lot of cap room. As of now, he is on injured reserve, but as soon as he is healthy, he could outperform most of the Lakers’ big men. In Los Angeles, he would benefit from open jump shots created by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. While in Indiana he was expected to be a big-time player, in Los Angeles, Croshere, only 27, could be a key role player for years to come.

Point guard Charlie Ward of the New York Knicks is not very young (32), but he would bring toughness, veteran leadership, and better perimeter defense to the Lakers. Current Lakers point guard Derek Fisher is known for his defensive positioning, but he usually gets lit up by the top-flight point guards. Fisher’s not very quick and he’s also a couple of inches shorter than Ward. Ward is currently shooting as well as Fisher from behind the arc and that’s on the Knicks who have zero superstars, while the Lakers have two of the brightest. Ward can take it to the hole a lot better than Fisher as well. I’m sure the Knicks, who have committed big money to a number of free-agent busts, would love to free up some space since they seem to be going nowhere with their current roster.

Somehow, someway, the Lakers must find a spark plug. They need somebody who has passion about the game, wants to win, or both. Khalid El-Amin, currently out of the NBA, came into the league a couple of years ago, made the All-Rookie team with Chicago, then was cut later in his rookie season simply because Chicago had too many young point guards. El-Amin, though, was the best rookie on the team. He is a leader and a winner (along with guard Richard Hamilton, currently on the Wizards, he brought a national championship to UConn). The Lakers should explore signing him.

Or maybe an old vet who wants his last shot at a ring. For example, Tim Hardaway, while physically limited, is able enough to contribute, especially in the playoffs. He can still shoot the three (as seen in his short stint with the Mavericks last year) and he wants to win a championship more than anyone. He would look good in a Lakers’ uniform, even if he only played about 10 minutes a game. His passion about the game is infectious, and the Lakers seem to be lacking in that regard.

Also, the Lakers have some talent on their team that needs to be brought out. Rookie Kareem Rush looks to be a smooth shooter and he should get some more playing time to create more of a running team.

The Lakers clearly need to shake up their roster, something they haven’t done since Jerry West departed. The current roster is stale and doesn’t seem too excited about playing regular season games. That probably means a first-round departure, as the rest of the Western Conference is excited at the prospect of unseating the three-time champs.


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