Lakers’ first-round pick Crittenton starts strong

Javaris Crittenton wasn't afraid to be the hero.

And why should he have been scared? He has made big shots before, be it as a high school star with his Atlanta Celtics AAU team or last season as a freshman at Georgia Tech.

The situation is different, though, when it's in the NBA Summer League as a first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers. But the 6-foot-4-inch, 19-year-old guard from Atlanta showed his nerve Sunday inside a packed Cox Pavilion as he knocked down a 23-foot shot with 1.7 seconds to play, giving the Lakers a 66-64 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

"It was a lot of fun out there for me," said Crittenton, who left the Yellow Jackets after their first-round loss to UNLV in the NCAA Tournament to go pro. "Me and my teammates have been working really hard, and it was nice to get off to a good start. Hopefully, I can build on this."

For Crittenton, who led all scorers with 18 points Sunday, it was a no-lose situation. For even if he had missed, he knows his immediate future is secure. As the Lakers' top pick, No. 19 overall, he'll be invited back to fall training camp and, barring anything unusual, figures to be on the opening-day roster come November.

Guard Jordan Farmar, who averaged 15.1 minutes, 4.4 points and 1.9 assists per game as a rookie last season, also is here to work on his game. Like Crittenton, his job status is secure for the upcoming season. But for many of the other guys with whom Crittenton and Farmar are playing, that isn't the case.

The Lakers have needs, but all of those needs might not be addressed in Las Vegas this week.

The hopefuls, which include former UNLV forward Dalron Johnson, Coby Karl, who is the son of Denver Nuggets coach George Karl, and journeymen Larry Turner, Andre Patterson and Jeff Graves, are going to have to play exceptional over the next few days to win an invitation to Hawaii, where the Lakers will conduct their October training camp.

"I hope I can make a good impression," said Karl, who had been battling thyroid cancer and had surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes in early April but is now healthy. "I could have went to Denver, but I didn't want to be in my father's shadow and hear people say the only reason I'm there is because of him.

"I want to be my own person, spread my wings and do this on my own."

Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw, who is handling the summer league team, was impressed with Karl and several others, including Johnson, who had five points and five rebounds in 21 minutes before injuring his left calf muscle, which sidelined him for the rest of the game.

"He played very well for us," Shaw said of Karl, who finished with 10 points in 28 minutes. "He has a good feel for the game, and I thought he had a pretty good grasp of the triangle (offense).

"Andre Patterson did some things you don't see on the score sheet. He hustled and was physical. Larry Turner also gave us a physical presence."

Turner blocked Lynn Greer's shot with 18 seconds to go and the score tied at 64, setting the stage for Crittenton's heroics. Whether the play ultimately helps Turner earn a trip to Hawaii remains to be seen. But Shaw and general manager Mitch Kupchak believe playing in Las Vegas will help the Lakers more than the last couple of years the team spent in the summer league in Long Beach, Calif.

"We want Jordan and Javaris to get a lot of minutes," Kupchak said. "I think given the competition in Vegas, we'll get a good gauge on our guys and where we stand."

Said Shaw: "We should get a better feel for what our guys can do. You have 21 NBA teams here. Our guys will be tested for sure."

Considering Sunday's game was their first and that they've been together as a team for only a couple of days, these Lakers left the gym with a good feeling Sunday.

"We've thrown a lot at them in a short amount of time," Shaw said. "No one learns the triangle in a couple of days. Overall, I thought we got off to a good start."