With the Los Angeles Lakers holding the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft and two players seemingly ranking a cut above the rest, it appears difficult for the storied franchise to go wrong.
Their aging superstar took it upon himself to issue a warning the franchise, anyway.
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Lakers Nation posted a tweet from Rebecca Freeman of SXSW.com about an interview she did with Lakers star Kobe Bryant.
She asked Bryant about the team's good fortune of moving up to No. 2 in the NBA Draft during the draft lottery this week.
.@kobebryant, on @Lakers 2nd Draft pick: "Don't mess it up." Criteria for success? "Don't pick a player that sucks." pic.twitter.com/BjvsiHWhJp— Rebecca Feferman (@RebFef) May 20, 2015
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With Bryant missing the majority of another season because of injury, the Lakers slumped to a franchise-worst 21-61 record in 2014-15, marking back-to-back record seasons in futility for the franchise. The 2013-14 record of 27-55 set a historic low at the time while the franchise has been in Los Angeles.
As bad as the Lakers were, their prospects for significant improvement in 2015-16 seem bright - if Bryant can stay healthy for the first time since 2011-12.
Bryant has suffered a torn Achilles, broken kneecap and torn rotator cuff, respectively, in each of the last three seasons. But if the Lakers can use him in spurts, he still remains one of the better offensive weapons in the game.
Point guard Jordan Clarkson was named to the All-Rookie team, and 2014 first-round pick Julius Randle will return from a broken leg that he suffered in the season-opener. Now, the Lakers will, in all likelihood, draft Kentucky's Karl Anthony-Towns or Duke's Jahlil Okafor.
The quartet should give them a solid nucleus from which to dig their way back to respectability.
The question is, if the Lakers do mess up the pick, what will Bryant do in retaliation - come back for another year at $24.5 million?
Do you think the Lakers can contend for a playoff spot in 2015-16? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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