PERSPECTIVE IS KEY FOR THE LAKERS.

Byline: ROSS SILER Staff Writer

From one perspective, the Lakers finished seventh in the Western Conference last season, winning 19 of 30 games after the All-Star break and pushing the Phoenix Suns to Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs.

From the other, the Lakers were a .500 team as late as March 19, became just the eighth team in history to blow a 3-1 lead in the playoffs and suffered a distressing 31-point loss in Game 7 against the Suns.

They won three of five games in the regular season against Miami and Dallas, the two NBA Finals participants. They also split the season series with the Portland Trail Blazers, the league's worst team.

As they head into tonight's NBA draft and the start of free agency Saturday, the Lakers must decide on how drastic a makeover they need -- and how they can take advantage of limited opportunities to do so.

The Lakers will start with the No. 26 pick, near the end of the first round. They likely will select a guard, though general manager Mitch Kupchak has realistic expectations about how much a rookie will be able to contribute.

Kupchak would like to trade up in the draft, but also acknowledged that several general managers are looking to move out of the first round entirely. Such is the fate of the NBA's first draft since instituting its new age limit.

The Lakers auditioned nearly 80 players and had Temple's Mardy Collins and UCLA's Jordan Farmar in for workouts this week. Whether Farmar would be available when the Lakers pick at No. 26 is questionable.

Other players who could be available late in the first round include Texas' P.J. Tucker, Spain's Sergio Rodriguez, Miami's Guillermo Diaz, Rutgers' Quincy Douby and Cincinnati's James White.

As for free agency, the Lakers will be trying to fill needs for a ball-handling guard, small forward and big man. The period for free-agent negotiating begins Saturday, with a moratorium on signings until July 12.

The Lakers will have only the standard salary-cap exceptions available as Brian Grant's monster contract has one more season left. Grant ($15.6 million) again will be the Lakers' second-highest paid player after Kobe Bryant.

As with the NBA's other teams over the salary cap, the Lakers will have a midlevel exception ($5 million last season) and a biannual exception ($1.75 million) to spend.

At the end of last season, coach Phil Jackson spelled out the need to improve in areas of speed and defense. The Lakers could start with Minnesota guard Marcus Banks, who fits the bill and was theirs for a week in August 2004.

Banks was acquired from Boston as part of the Gary Payton/Rick Fox trade. But when Payton failed to report for a physical, the trade was amended and Banks returned to the Celtics.

``He can be an impact player in this league if he continues to improve,'' Kupchak said of Banks two summers ago.

Banks, however, is a free agent only because the Celtics declined to exercise the fourth- year option in his contract. Banks was traded to Minnesota in January, started 28 games, and averaged 12.0 points and 4.7 assists. Other free agent guards who could be in the Lakers' price range include Sam Cassell, Speedy Claxton and Bobby Jackson.

The Lakers have to decide about re-signing Devean George and could bring back Laron Profit, who ruptured an Achilles tendon and was released. Former Lakers guard Kareem Rush, released by Charlotte, is another possibility.

Kupchak also did not take an aggressive stance when talking about potential trades with reporters on Monday. He ruled out trading rookie Andrew Bynum and did not sound eager to move center Chris Mihm.

``We're not trying to trade Lamar (Odom), Chris or Andrew,'' Kupchak said.

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