Lakers Rumors: Derrick Caracter's Roster Spot Should Go to a Guard

You probably forgot that the Los Angeles Lakers had Derrick Caracter on their roster, didn't you?

Well, they don't now. As reported by the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday, Caracter was waived. He hadn't played a game all season, sitting out with a left knee injury that he suffered in training camp.

It's a tough business, this NBA. One hopes that Caracter will catch on somewhere else.

The Lakers have more pressing concerns. With Caracter out of the picture, Brian Kamenetzky of ESPN.com was among the first to point out that the Lakers now have 14 players for 15 roster spots. With the deadline for fully guaranteed contracts fast approaching, now is a perfect time for the Lakers to add another player to their roster.

Alex Kennedy of HOOPSWORLD offered his thoughts on what the Lakers' plans might be:

That the Lakers are interested in Arenas is not news. It was reported last week that the Lakers have put in a call about the free-agent guard, who could give them some scoring punch off the bench.

In addition, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote last week that the Lakers have "significant" interest in J.R. Smith, who signed to play in China during the lockout.

Moreover, ESPN's Chris Broussard reported this week that the Lakers have inquired about Houston Rockets guard Jonny Flynn.

So long story short, the Lakers are indeed likely to add a guard. They've certainly lined up enough options, anyway.

This should come as no surprise. The Lakers' backcourt basically consists of Kobe Bryant and a collection of spare parts, none of whom are very productive. They need somebody who can do something on a nightly basis.

None of the guys they've been looking into are saviors, per se, but you can easily make the argument that all of them are better than what the Lakers already have. All of them represent an upgrade waiting to be had.

The Lakers aren't going to guarantee a trip to the Finals if they bring in another guard, but it certainly couldn't hurt their chances. This is the weakest Lakers team we've seen in a few years, especially as far as depth is concerned. The frontcourt is pretty well set, but the backcourt truly does need another body.

So come one, come all. If you can handle the rock and shoot a little bit, you may as well shoot Mitch Kupchak an email. His team needs a guard.