LAKERS UPDATE: L.A. HARD-PRESSED TO FIND NUGGET.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

The NBA holds its annual draft tonight, which means a dozen or so teams will enjoy a harvest of new talent, while the Lakers will settle for finding someone who won't embarrass them at the parade next June.

There are athletes and shooters and bangers available for the teams lousy enough to land in this year's lottery. But by the time the Lakers pick, at No. 27, they'll be sifting through big men with no power and guards with no speed and probably will be happy just to find a guy who doesn't dance like Elaine Benes.

And, frankly, there's no guarantee of finding anyone with rhythm that deep in the draft, either.

``We always feel we're going to get a player down there,'' general manager Mitch Kupchak said.

But recent history says the Lakers will be lucky to find much of use.

The defending champs would like a young guard to complement Kobe Bryant, an athlete to potentially replace free agent Devean George and, as ever, a backup center to give Shaquille O'Neal a rest.

What they'll probably get is someone who won't play a meaningful minute for a year or two, will earn guaranteed money for the next three seasons and, if he's good enough, will leave for a more lucrative deal in 2005.

That's the harsh reality of picking at the end of the first round, as the Lakers know well. They've drafted at No. 23 or lower in each of the last six years and only one pick - Derek Fisher, taken 24th in 1996 - has become an integral player.

In 1998, the Lakers took Sam Jacobson at No. 26 and obtained the 23rd pick, Tyronn Lue, from Denver. Jacobson was waived after one season and Lue hardly played his first two years. Then Lue played solid defense for one week, in the 2001 Finals against Philadelphia's Allen Iverson, and leveraged a nice contract with Washington.

In 1999, the Lakers took George with the 23rd pick. He was a spectator for two full seasons. But George earned a spot in the rotation this season and showed just enough promise to make him a coveted free agent on July 1.

The Lakers' last draft selection was the 29th pick in 2000. They got Mark Madsen, who so far has contributed little beyond the annual Boogie Fever routine.

Scouts are calling this a deep draft and the Lakers are hopeful that a decent prospect will fall their way. Possibilities include Stanford's Casey Jacobsen, Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince and Maryland's Juan Dixon. But all three could be gone by the time the Lakers pick - and none of them would be likely to crack the Lakers' rotation for at least a year, anyway.

Although the Lakers would like to move up - perhaps to draft an athletic swingman, such as junior college standout Qyntel Woods - that scenario is highly, highly unlikely. The Lakers don't have much to offer other teams and any trade that breaks up the core group - Fisher, Rick Fox and Robert Horry - would severely damage their chances at winning a fourth straight championship.

``Our intention is to keep this core team intact,'' Kupchak said. ``They've earned the right to pursue a fourth title. You've got to let them do that.''

But the rest of the roster is subject to change. The Lakers are actively looking to trade Lindsey Hunter, who struggled this season and is due $8.1 million over the next two years. Moving him, however, will be predicated on finding another suitable backup for Fisher, who had foot surgeries in 2000 and 2001.