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When the Lakers selected Joe Crawford toward the end of the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft, I turned to a sports writer and told him it'd be a miracle if he even made the roster. I said this because, well, the Laker roster was essentially full.

After Boston disposed of Los Angeles in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, the Lakers were in the enviable position of entering the off-season with a high degree of certainty. Only two players were restricted free-agents -- Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf. DJ Mbenga and Ira Newble were among the team's only unrestricted free agents. Andrew Bynum would only become a restricted free-agent if the team did not extend his contract by Oct. 31.

Considering all the main pieces were in place -- Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher and Bynum -- the summer promised to be relatively calm. General manager Mitch Kupchak only had to worry about signing two key role players. If Mbenga and Newble were lost, no one would really notice. 

Of course, the Lakers signed Mbenga as a stop-gap measure -- they desperately needed a backup center. Yet, with the possibility of Jelani McCoy coming on board, Mbenga is all but useless to the Lakers. He'll probably end up on Miami, as the Heat have expressed interest in the 7-foot center.

The bigger question is what happens to Newble.

Newble is a bit of a newbie, signed late last season and barely made the playoff roster. He, too, was a stop-gap measure, signed as insurance after Trevor Ariza was injured a few games into his Laker career.

Newble rarely played, so the question is where will he fit in now? Factor in that, even with Mbenga and Turiaf gone, and McCoy still an unknown, the Laker roster is already at 14.

Worst yet, the Lakers officially signed Crawford to a rookie contract, then signed last year's draft pick, Sun Yue, a young Chinese phenom who is expected to play at guard.

With Trevor Ariza probably returning at full strenght, Newble is probably just as expendable as Mbenga, especially if Lamar Odom and Luke Walton are both healthy.

Competing against Odom, Walton, Ariza, Vujacic and Vladamir Radmonovic, all of whom are likely to get some serious playing time, Newble really doesn't have a role with the Lakers.

Complicating matters is the recent signings of guard Brandon Heath and forwards Josh Powell and CJ Giles.

Not to mention, the Lakers are stacked at the guard positions, with Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher, and possibly Yue all competing for minutes.

All signs point to the Lakers moving forward without Newble.

The other question is what happens to Coby Karl?

A fan favorite who is also the son of Denver Nuggets coach George Karl, Coby also saw limited playing time last season. The young guard graciously accepted his role as 12th man.

However, with playing time already limited before the offseason, the few offseason moves Los Angeles made despite an inflexible roster did not improve Karl's prospects for playing time in 2008-09.

If anything, Karl's spot on the bench will probably be assumed by Yue this season, while Crawford and Heath will compete for the last roster spot.

Karl does have the security that he is under contract for this upcoming season, and he may beat out Crawford and Heath to round out the roster. But it doesn't look promising, especially if McCoy comes on board.

It's a tough spot to be in. The Lakers have 11 players who are essentially locked in the rotation in some degree. Assuming that Mbenga and Newble are not brought back, that leaves five players competing for the final active roster spot, and I think that spot is going to Yue.

Of course, there are three spots open on the Injured Reserve, so three of the players who don't make the roster might suddenly suffer from back spasms or something.

Either way, Mbenga and Newble won't be wearing Laker jerseys on opening day, and we'll likely see fan favorite Coby Karl on the IR or waived by the end of training camp.