Los Angeles Lakers: Ranking the Team's Best Players After Kobe Bryant

Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol? Troy Murphy or Josh McRoberts? Derek Fisher or Steve Blake?

One thing is for sure, Kobe Bean Bryant is the unanimous No. 1 player in Laker Land.

After Bryant, how would the rest of the roster shake up if one were to rank them?

Debate about it for a while, and when you're finished, check out my rankings.

* Note: I rated Steve Blake at his position based on a clean bill of health, not in his current injured state.

14. Forward Derrick Caracter

Derrick Caracter hasn't played yet this season due to a knee injury, but he has flashed potential that could make him a valuable piece off of the bench in the future.

In his rookie season, he had a willingness not to be bashful but to attack on the offensive end—a rarity for most second-round picks who often play tentatively.

With the anemic bench production the Lakers are currently receiving, Caracter might be able to inject some punch when he returns from injury.

He's currently on a rehabilitation stint in the D-League, but he could make his return to the squad in a week or so.

13. Forward Luke Walton

There's no way I can say this respectfully, but I'm sorry, Luke Walton: You are easily one of the worst players currently in the NBA.

I don't feel too bad because he has earned millions upon millions of dollars while living on the bench. Couple that with the fact that he's also a two-time NBA champion, and come to think of it, I don't feel bad for him at all.

If anything he's living the ultimate dream. He's a bench player living in Los Angeles while making over $5 million a year.

Joking aside, Walton's game has regressed considerably from when he actually played with regularity. His outside shooting is porous, and he exhibits a very lackadaisical effort on the defensive end.

Without a doubt, his calling card is his intelligence and passing ability. Unfortunately for Walton, no one ever gets to see it due to next to no play time.

12. Guard Darius Morris

Truth be told, the 20-year-old from the University of Michigan was foolish to enter the NBA draft this past April. Had he stayed in college for this season, he could have possibly been a first-round pick.

The Lakers drafted him based on potential. At 6'4", he has great size for a point guard. In limited playing time this season, he has displayed above-average vision.

Despite his potential, it's quite clear that Darius Morris isn't ready for the NBA.

Whenever he has the ball in his hands, it looks as if he's in a perpetual state of being "sped up." He's also incredibly turnover prone, but that's somewhat expected with a rookie manning the point.

I'm sure the combination of a lack of experience and nerves have contributed to his troubles, but Morris needs to soak up as much knowledge as he can from veteran point guard Derek Fisher.

If he can do that, he may be able to provide adequate spot minutes this season, but not much else.

11. Forward Jason Kapono

The sharpshooter from UCLA hasn't quite lived up to his reputation thus far in the season. I can't say that's his fault either.

Jason Kapono plays sparingly, and in his brief time out on the court, he isn't able to fully develop a rhythm. In addition, the team isn't built to completely utilize his strengths as a player.

He's most effective when camping out on the three-point line as a stand-still shooter. His game is predicated upon dribble penetration from a teammate, who can then dish it out to him on the wing.

Unfortunately, the only Laker who can consistently create his own shot is Kobe Bryant.

The Lakers are completely void of outside shooting, and that fact alone helps Kapono to retain value on the current roster.

10. Forward Devin Ebanks

If we're basing the list solely on potential, Devin Ebanks is good enough to crack the top five.

When watching the 22-year-old play, his game is eerily similar to Trevor Ariza at the same age. Heck, they even resemble one another physically and facially.

At 6'9", Ebanks has great length and athleticism at the small forward position. In order for him to progress as a player, he needs to become more consistent in all facets of the game. That mostly entails the ability to hit the outside shot with regularity (something Ariza worked tremendously hard at).

If Ebanks can mesh all of his physical tools together, he has the ability to one day be a very effective player in this league.

9. Forward Josh McRoberts

"McBob" is the epitome of an effort guy.

In his time out on the court, Josh McRoberts always hustles and plays with a chip on his shoulder—something not really seen in recent Lakers teams.

He's very athletic and has made a couple highlight dunks, but he hasn't consistently been able to demonstrate any semblance of an inside post game.

At this point, he has lost his spot in the rotation to Troy Murphy due to his inconsistency. When he is on the floor, however, he looks to add mass exertion and vigor.

8. Forward/Center Troy Murphy

Troy Murphy has played relatively well for the Lakers off the bench.

He's been a guy who can stretch the floor effectively when opposing teams are clogging the lane against the Lakers' size advantage that they employ nightly.

The former Notre Dame product also displays lots of effort rebounding the basketball and can use his length to disrupt shots on the defensive end.

He's taken the minutes over from McRoberts simply due to his higher skill level.

7. Guard Andrew Goudelock

"Mini Mamba" (as aptly dubbed by Kobe Bryant) has been playing extremely well as of late.

Over the course of the last six games, Andrew Goudelock has represented almost all of the bench points scored by the Lakers, as he's averaged 10.5 points per contest.

Primarily known as a long-range shooter coming out of The College of Charleston, Goudelock is now equipped with a patented floater in the lane. He has displayed that nifty shot with great efficiency in the last few games.

As he's gotten more play time, his confidence has grown leaps and bounds from where it was to start the season. Currently, he's without a doubt the biggest threat off the bench for the Lakers.

His game reminds me of a mix between famed sixth-man Bobby Jackson and Eddie House. He has the ability to stroke it from three, but he's also adept at driving the lane and pulling up with mid-range jumpers and floaters.

6. Forward Matt Barnes

The former UCLA Bruin can be described as an irritating nuisance that can get under the opponents' skin.

He's a guy you hate to play against but love to have on your team.

Matt Barnes is able hit the occasional three from the corner and plays decent defense. One thing you will always get with him is effort. He always expels a ton of energy and plays with a lot of emotion.

5. Guard Derek Fisher

Derek Fisher typifies class as not only a competitor on the court but as an individual as well.

There's no doubt that the veteran's game is deteriorating, as he doesn't display the same quickness or instincts he once did.

Regardless, the things he brings from an emotional and leadership standpoint are far greater than his pedestrian statistical output. That includes taking charges, acting as a floor general and playing with a unparalleled moxie.

His ability to be "clutch" will always make him a dangerous player, no matter how old he is.

4. Guard Steve Blake

Judging from last year's performance, no one thought that the injury sustained by Steve Blake in this current season would have such a negative effect on the team.

Pre-injury in this current season, Blake was bar none the best point guard on the team. He was playing with a confidence that was non-existent last season.

Whether it be pressure for him to perform for a perennial contender or former coach Phil Jackson lurking over his shoulder, Blake wasn't himself last season.

This season, he was playing with almost a careless disposition. That resulted in good production and stability from the second unit.

He's currently recovering from torn cartilage in his rib cage with the hope of returning later in the month.

3. Forward Metta World Peace

While Metta World Peace aka Ron Artest hasn't been putting up satisfactory statistical numbers, he still has an impact on every contest.

That impact primarily exists on the defensive end, where he's still an above-average on-ball defender. He might not be the stellar, lockdown defender that he was previously, but he can still provide a stifling effort  (case in point, he held Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari to six points on 1-of-9 from the field this past Friday).

While his offensive totals have been porous, he's still a physical player who accrues particulars that don't always show up in the box score.

I do feel as if he'll get on track with his scoring output as the season progresses.

2. Center Andrew Bynum

Andrew Bynum has steadily improved every year he's been in the league since being drafted at age 17, and he has finally been recognized as an All-Star for the first time this season.

The New Jersey native has been very effective around the rim, displaying his array of post moves ranging from jump hooks to drop steps for dunks.

He's also been a beast on the boards, collecting 12 RPG to go along with his 17 PPG. Defensively, he's altered shots with his extremely long arms and has added an impressive two blocks per game.

Although injury problems always remain an issue, Bynum has established himself as the best center in the Western Conference and one of the top two centers in all of basketball.

1. Forward Pau Gasol

Regardless of position, Pau Gasol is still one of the most skilled basketball players on the planet.

At 7", he brings a deft touch around the rim, an incredibly high basketball IQ, superlative footwork and impressive shooting ability from the perimeter.

As frustrated as some get with Pau and his lack of physicality, those people shouldn't be surprised. Gasol will never overpower people in the post, nor will he ever demonstrate a physical presence in the paint.

What he will bring is a double-double nightly to go along with a cerebral nature out on the court.

Gasol is still without a doubt a top-15 player currently in the NBA.