The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

SLOW down: it’s the first week of March and yes, the Los Angeles Lakers are - at best - tanking in hopes of securing a high pick in this year’s draft.

But, before you run off on that tangent about how the league’s most historic franchise has never had a four-year stretch of failure of this magnitud, let it be known that the push to success for any NBA team sways on one notion - the ability to find, court and secure a top-tier player.

Keep calm. The Lakers, certainly a team in transition, now find themselves in that exact spot.

As veteran guard Kobe Bryant continues his well deserved swansong, the team has been entrenched in the search for its next face.

Draft after draft, free agency after free agency, NBA teams dedicate an insane amount of hours to doing just that. But, like all ventures, success or failure depends mostly on luck.

In essence, the key here is that in order for any team to win, at some point they had to lose. Prior to drafting Lebron James, the Cleveland Cavilers finished with the worst record in the eastern conference. Before Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors were left hanging by Baron Davis one year and gave up on Al Harrington and Jamal Crawford the next.

One can go on and on with this trend but the point is the night is darkest before the dawn.

If the current trajectory holds, the Lakers will secure a top-three pick for the second consecutive year. A top three pick in a draft that some experts are calling the best since the 2003 class of Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony can definitely set the Lakers on the right track.

Look no further than Louisiana State University’s Ben Simmons. The 6ft 10in forward has dominated college ranks, often doing so with the ease and comfort of a veteran NBA player.

Beyond Simmons the draft is crammed with many other potential stars:

Brandon Ingram (Small forward, Duke) - Not just a big body, but a big body with skill. Think Pau Gasol with more athletism.

Dragan Bender (Power forward, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel) - Well, do you remember Kristaps Porzingis? He started a rebirth of quality international bagmen. Bender, a Croat, is another one.

Jamal Murray (Shooting guard, Kentucky) - John Calipari’s team is having a sub-par season but Murray’s play has transcended the poor play.

Buddy Hield (Shooting guard, Oklahoma) - Grand Bahamian Heild has dominated the college ranks. Offensively he is head and shoulders above the competition with a mature defensive game to follow suit. His year over year growth has enabled the Sooners programme to remain in the nation’s top ten and focused on a big tournament run.

Denzel Valentine (Shooting guard, Michigan State) - Experts have drawn the comparison to former Blazer standout Brandon Roy. His playmaking ability at the two guard spot can leave many of the league’s best defenders in a state of confusion.

The Lakers are in tremendous position. At the conclusion of the season the Lakers would have two players under contract, $7m to Lou Williams and $1m to Anthony Brown, and player options on their trio of upstart youngsters - D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr. Additionally Nick Young has player option for around $5.7m. In total, $24,639,909 of the team’s projected $89m salary cap.

That means there is $65m to spend in free agency period that will feature the likes of Andre Drummond, Bradley Beal, Harrison Barnes, Jordan Clarkson (currently on the team’s roster), Evan Fournier, Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas, Festus Ezeli and Jared Sullinger and could be highlighted by Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Al Horford, Mike Conley, Hassan Whiteside, DeMar DeRozan, Dwyane Wade, Nicolas Batum, Ryan Anderson, Rajon Rondo, Pau Gasol, Jamal Crawford, Al Jefferson, Chandler Parsons, Jeff Green and Luol Deng.

The possibilities are truly endless. Slow down: the good times are coming.

True Laker fans ought to know that the remainder of this turbulent season should be spent marvelling at the growth and development of the young trio. Find the time to celebrate the legacy and lore of Kobe Bryant. Celebrate the history of your great franchise. But, most importantly, remember that in the very near future the Lakers will be back to their old winning ways.

• Ricardo Wells will be writing every Thursday on the NBA. Comments to rwells@tribunemedia.net