Since the Zen Master left, it’s been the same old story line. The same questions. The same answers.

Who is going to take the reins and lead the team in the same type of manner that Phil Jackson had? How can the Lakers win with an aging shooting guard?

Defensive minded Mike Brown tried and failed only to be followed by Mike D’Antoni who was almost just about forced out. Obviously, nobody is going to be Phil or will ever match his historic resume but the Lakers are now searching for a head coach and this time they can’t afford to mess up.

Kobe Bryant only has a few years left to get his 6th ring so the head coaching position is more important than ever for the Lakers. By steve.lanctot (kb_0563cf) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Kobe Bryant only has a few years left in his career and he has made it clear that he wants to compete for a championship this coming season.

Lakers management already lost Phil to the Knicks, so fans and dreamers can stop considering that as a possibility.

Many names have been swirling throughout the media including George Karl, UNC’s Roy Williams, Derek Fisher, Lionel Hollins, Byron Scott and more but there are really only a few names that actually make sense for the direction the Lakers are headed.

What the Lakers need in order to bring them back to the glory that they have been used to is a coach who understands what it takes to win as a Laker. No more of these coaches who achieved success simply because of a system or a star player.

I think Byron Scott would be the right choice to at this juncture. Scott understands what it takes to be a Laker and what it takes to win in Los Angeles. He helped them win three titles in the 1980s and also has coaching experience in the NBA Finals, taking the Nets to the Finals in back-to-back years (2002,2003). He has also shown the ability to handle star players such as Jason Kidd and Chris Paul during his tenure in New Orleans.

Make it happen Mitch

Byron Scott makes perfect sense for the Lakers and hopefully management sees it that way as well. Kobe Bryant has endorsed Scott which is huge. Kobe didn’t have any say in the hiring of Brown or D’Antoni, and look how that turned out for the Lakers. The Lakers need a leader in this awkward time. I think Scott is their guy.

A championship is the ultimate prize in sports. Every fan of every team wants what is best for the team in order to put their team in the best position to compete for a championship. Sometimes, though, winning sometimes isn’t always the answer to success; and in the Lakers current situation that can’t be overstated.

The Lakers and their fans are hoping to see another title parade soon after a few hard seasons.

For the Lakers organization and its fans, the 2013-14 season is one of the darkest and hardest to watch in the past 30-plus years. In the end, though, it might not be so bad.

After losing out on the Dwight Howard sweepstakes in the off-season and while waiting on Kobe Bryant to return from injury, the Lakers knew the season would be a long one. Countless injuries and poor play have made exacerbated the situation. Currently, at the All Star Break, the Lakers sit with a record of 18-35 and are tied for the worst record in the Western Conference with the Sacramento Kings. So, the question is where do the Lakers go from here?

As the Lakers continue to lose, it all adds up to one step closer to a great lottery pick in the upcoming draft. The 2014 draft class looks to be one of the deepest and strongest draft classes since the 2003, when players such as LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh entered the league. It looks like the Lakers may even have a good chance to get a top-5 pick in the draft, which would greatly improve the team. Combine the good draft pick with all the cap space the Lakers will have this off-season and the Lakers should be back in contention for a title within a year or two.

What makes people skeptical about the future state of the Lakers is the fact that Jerry Buss and Jerry West are no longer with the team and that it is being run by Jim Buss, a man criticized for his poor decisions pertaining to the team. He is accompanied by general manager Mitch Kupchak, who is a fan favorite for his-out of-nowhere great moves. I understand why Laker fans like myself are worried about the future but we have to just trust in management and hope for the best. I mean after all it’s the Lakers right? Whoever is managing the team, I have to believe they will figure it out and bring this historic franchise back to the place it was always meant to be.

The New York Yankees of the hardwood have met and exceeded off-season expectations. Should we be so surprised? Since moving to Los Angeles in 1960, the Lakers have once again done what they are known for doing — perpetually adding to the list of all-time acquisitions in the history of the NBA, year after year.

The Lakers have brought into the fold the star power of the biggest off-season prize in big man Dwight Howard, as well as one of the most respected and decorated point guards in the history of the game in Steve Nash. Los Angeles has once again struck big and has made the biggest series of offseason splashes in recent NBA history.

Moreover, when you add in bench-strengthening additions like Antawn Jamison, Jodie Meeks and Chris Duhon, this off-season could be graded even higher than all-time great Laker off-seasons, meeting or exceeding when they brought in the likes of Wilt Chamberlain in 1968, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar in 1975 or Shaquille O’Neal in 1996.

When you take into consideration this year’s epic additions, and then throw into the recipe mainstays like Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Metta-World Peace, Jordan Hill and Steve Blake, what do you expect the overall dish to taste like? Some are saying an NBA championship favorite, others are saying a huge chemistry problem. I argue as objectively as I can that it is honestly someplace in-between.

While Dwight Howard not seeing a lot of preseason game action due to his recovery from a minor back procedure and Kobe missing the last week of practice and games in the preseason obviously isn’t going to help to build early-season chemistry, don’t think for a second that this team not gelling early means that they won’t end up gelling at some point in the new year, when games start to matter.

Howard recovering from surgery at the outset will predictably stunt the growth process, but let’s take a look at what will ultimately make that process flourish.

Point primarily to the Princeton offense. The first cousin of the Triangle, both are based in similar principles: spacing, ball movement, movement without the ball and player versatility. Both feature many series of 2-man and 3-man games and like the triangle, the post is the hub of the offense. This is and will be the perfect compliment to a roster that includes above average passing big men like Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, as well as Hall-of-Fame-level facilitators like Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant. The main benefit to consider is that the Princeton system brings structure to an offensive gameplan that last year, looked like a complete mess.

How will it all come together? How will each piece fit and what can we expect from each separate personality in the process of building what is paramount – team chemistry? Below is an in-depth look at each player who looks to contribute this upcoming season:

Kobe Bryant

The addition of more high-end stars leaves the door wide open for Kobe to trust his teammates at a new and unprecedented level. Steve Nash now being in the back-court means Kobe doesn’t have to have the ball in his hands the majority of the time when it matters most — namely, at the end of the shot clock and at the end of quarters and games.

Kobe Bryant hits another clutch fadeaway jumper. By Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA (AAAA9080) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Kobe won’t have to hoist as many bad shots as he has had to in the recent past. Steve Nash will get him better shots. And if Bryant can be assisted by Nash within the confines of the Princeton offense by cutting to the basket on rubs and back-cuts for easy lay-ups, as well as get more open shots on the perimeter, his ego will hopefully be satisfied.

All of us Lakers fans and haters alike can at least agree on that simple fact: Bryant does have a huge ego to satisfy, no matter how his overall skills may have eroded (or not eroded at all in his mind) from their peak some five years ago.

All of this considered, Kobe’s minutes will more-than-likely be curbed and managed with the addition of the most capable scoring backup he has ever had behind him at shooting guard in Jodie Meeks. Less wear and tear during the season means more energy come playoff time. In Lakerland, having the most available to you come playoff time is all that matters.

Dwight Howard

Finally, Dwight doesn’t have to be the man. And although the public and media’s perception during his holdout/re-sign/holdout might suggest that he feels like he needs to be the man, I argue that his loose and playful personality points to something different. It points to a level of humility and that he has no problem being ‘one of the guys’ and contributing to a champion in any way, shape or form that he can to help the team reach the ultimate goal.

He has learned in failures past that it takes more than himself to win it all. This is the reason he came to Los Angeles. Yes, his offensive game in the post needs further development. Yes, his free throw percentage needs to improve. But one needs to also consider that the man will turn only 27 years old in December. There is plenty of room and time to improve over the next few years. We may have yet to see Howard’s peak.

There is no question in any argument that could be presented that his presence as a defensive force in the middle is a factor the Lakers haven’t had since Wilt many eras ago. Yea, you heard me Kareem and Shaq. Howard will be a strong anchor in the middle for a defense that has lacked one basic element in recent years past…. a strong anchor in the middle. There will be no more free layups lines for guys like Durant and Westbrook. Dwight will have opportunities for defensive and offensive rebounds galore.

His calling card on this squad will be limiting the opposition to one-and-done’s on the defensive end and feasting on put-backs around the basket on the offensive end. The size of his impact in the paint on both ends of the floor will be just as big as the smile you will see on his face all season long. Dwight and Hollywood will be a great match for years to come.

Steve Nash

Quick, go back to “The Showtime Era.” How long ago was Magic dishing out dimes like nobody’s business? 20-plus years ago? This was the last time the Lakers had an ultimate facilitator. And now they have one again, finally.

Nick Van Exel, Sedale Threatt, Ron Harper, Derek Fisher, Smush Parker or even Ramon Sessions you could never honestly tag as great or even good ‘facilitators.’ Not only is Steve Nash this, but he is one of the best facilitators this league has ever seen.

While he is getting up there in age, his conditioning and ability have not diminished much at all. Nash is one of those rare athletes where body is even more of the ultimate temple come the late 30’s towards the end of his career. His ability to retain his conditioning and skill given his growing age is at the same hall-of-fame level that his uncanny passing acumen and dead-eye shooting ability has always been.

So what is Nash’s outlook with this group? Simple – to get everyone theirs. The Princeton offense is predicated on reading the defense and taking what they give you. This charge, along with managing what is truly a juggernaut offense is the task that Nash has been chosen to achieve. Who better than the most unselfish point guard the NBA has seen in the last decade-plus to tackle this assignment? With all the offensive talent that surrounds him, Nash could eclipse an assists per game average of 12 and beyond.

Pau Gasol

Gasol’s role looks to be very similar to what it was last year. While both Pau and Howard are in the game, Gasol’s 15-20 foot game will be his primary niche. A lot of those shots, when missed, will be followed in by Howard around the rim. When Howard leaves the floor and Pau remains, look for Gasol to take his game down low. This becomes the perfect, simplistic inside-outside game plan for the game’s most diverse big man.

Pau Gasol blocks a shot as Metta World-Peace looks on. By Keith Allison (Flickr: Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Metta World-Peace

While World-Peace isn’t what he once was on the offensive end, his defensive prowess remains. Metta’s role on this roster should be one main focus night-in, night-out — lock down the opposition’s best wing player defensively. Period. One goal. A tunnel assignment.

I believe a personality like World-Peace can thrive in a simplified situation such as this. And as long as the voices of Kobe Bryant and Mike Brown keep him focused, his toughness will be irreplaceable, given that Bryant, Nash and Gasol are average to only above-average defenders at best at this point in their careers.

If his team needs him to hit an outside shot or contribute garbage points around the basket, we all know Metta can do that in spurts, but I truly believe a simplified approach to Metta’s game and role on this team will get the most out of his unique talent.

Oops, I forgot to mention regular therapy sessions once a week, if not more. Toss that in there. Stay in your shoes Ron-Ron.

The Bench

Scoring off the bench was one of the biggest holes the Lakers had to fill this off-season to get back to a championship level. Antawn Jamison highlights a much-improved bench in 2012-13. Jamison is one of those swing forwards that can replace Metta World-Peace at the 3 in certain situations or Pau Gasol at the 4 in other particular situations. Defensively he may be a liability, but that’s not why Los Angeles brought him in. They brought him in to score. And score he can. In many ways. Those who haven’t seen Jamison’s game will be thrilled with his go-to move – a sneaky, almost strange-looking finger-roll game around the basket. Jamison is instantly a 6th man of the year candidate.

Jordan Hill is returning from a herniated disc injury and should be ready to go for opening night. Last season he surprisingly emerged from the bench as the go-to replacement at power forward when Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum needed a rest. The Lakers wisely re-signed the hustling garbageman for less than a mid-level exception — two more years and a reasonable total of only 7 million dollars. Hill’s knack and fast-twitch muscle fibers that slither and leverage both defensive and offensive rebounds cannot be understated. And if his most recent ailment doesn’t nag, there is nothing that says he can’t duplicate and even improve upon his key role off the bench from last year’s campaign.

Jodie Meeks looks to be the 8th man behind Kobe, and as Bryant’s minutes slowly diminish, Meeks appears to be more than capable as an ideal second team scorer at the off-guard position. A product of the lottery farm known as the University of Kentucky, Jodie comes over to Tinseltown from Philadelphia where over the last two seasons, the now 25-year-old averaged a solid 9.5 points in 26.5 minutes a game off the Sixers bench.

The Lakers scoring in the late 1st and 3rd quarter – early 2nd and 4th quarter portions of the game will be made or broken by how consistently Jodie can put the ball in the hole. For what Meeks can potentially bring to the table for only $1.5 million a year over the next two years, Mitch Kupchak has a lot of pats on the back to come. And I’m not even kidding here – #20 might end up being my favorite Laker this season when its all said and done. I love these types of key role players.

All through camp Steve Blake and Chris Duhon have battled for the 9th man spot backing up Steve Nash at the point guard position. Blake began camp recovering from a foot injury where he punctured his foot walking over one-way tire spikes in a parking lot (Clint Barmes breaking his collarbone “lugging deer meat” thinks that is one of the most ridiculous non-field injuries in recent memory).

Steve Blake whips the ball around the perimeter. By Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA (Steve Blake  Uploaded by JoeJohnson2) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Hailing from the floor-slapping defensive juggernaut of Duke, Duhon’s defense gives the Lakers something they haven’t had in a very long time – a force that can potentially check and keep up with the elite offensive point guards the NBA now glorifies. Look for Duhon to slowly steal minutes from Blake at this position as the season matures.

Devin Ebanks and Chris Douglas-Roberts will compete for the 11th man position on the roster. Major injuries aside, best-case scenario for these two backup wing players will be limited contributions, aside from pushing starters in practice and trying to impress coaches for future opportunities. Both will be able to dress for the game, unless there in an injury on the front line and rookie Robert Sacre needs to fill a hole.

Guards Andrew Goudelock and Darius Morris, as well as aforementioned rookie 7-footer that was drafted this past April out of Gonzaga, Robert Sacre, look to begin this season as the 13th, 14th and 15th men. Joining them on the practice squad could be Darius Johnson-Odom, Reeves Nelson and an injured Earl Clark, who they also acquired in the Dwight Howard trade.

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All opinions considered, detractors will point to a preseason that is without a win for the Lakers. Are we actually giving credence to a preseason record, and are we willing to speak it in the same sentence with postseason chances 6 months down the road?

Since when did what happens in October have anything to do with what happens in April and June given a roster loaded with playoff veterans such as this? One thing I can say about preseason Lakers talk – I’m utterly amazed at the naivete of the notion that a preseason record of a team that is made up like this one matters.

Given the infancy of the group as a new team, this new offense, the feeling-out process that needs to take place, and how the elite talent this team possesses played literally a fraction of the minutes in the preseason that they are going to play in the regular season and playoffs makes the idea that the preseason record matters down right silly and fundamentally empty. You’d think the Lakers were the Charlotte Bobcats! They must be in for a season in which their win total will tally only in the teens!

These things are for sure – for this loaded group, zero preseason wins equals exactly this: 50-55-plus wins, a Pacific Division title, a top 3 playoff seed or higher, and a barometer of the Western Conference Finals. Anyone who reads more into a preseason record in the NBA, where the final score means close to ultimately nothing, is only fancying him or herself as a glass-half-empty contrarian.

As far as the Lakers on-television issue is unfolding, the whole Time Warner Sportsnet dilemma on the precipice of the regular season is now partly resolved for San Luis Obispo-County fans. Those of us that are Charter subscribers now have access to the network that will carry every single one of the Lakers’ non-nationally televised games. Those of us that are Direct TV subscribers are still unfortunately out of luck at this time – but keep the faith, these two sides will ultimately come to a compromise and the Lakers will be live and in color for all local fans in the very near future.

As the excitement builds, the story of the 2012-2013 NBA season will be a must-see, be you Laker-fan or Laker-hater. And that is the beauty of a team like the Los Angeles Lakers – the polarization. You either love them or hate them. There is no in-between. They are always a topic of conversation no matter what side of the fence you may dig your heels into, because the majority of NBA fans strongly stand on one side of the barbed wire or the other.

Talking time is over. Watching time is now!

What if I could, as a fan, interview anyone in the sports world, ask them any question, and get a real, truthful, insightful answer. I wouldn’t have to publish it. I’d just want to know. As a fan. If you think you have their answers, please tell me.

My interview questions for Phil Jackson:

Who was more fun to coach – Shaq or MJ?

Kobe or Michael – and why?

Seriously, what happened to the Lakers this year?

My questions for Lakers’ GM Mitch Kupchak:

What really happened with the Ariza deal? Was there a problem with him that was never publicized? Did Kobe push hard for Ron? Would you do it differently if you could?

Would you rather have a slightly mentally unstable Artest or the Artest we saw all year?

For Frank McCourt:

What the hell?

For Stu Lantz:

Tell me one Chick Hearn story nobody has ever heard before.

For Tommy Lasorda and Vin Scully:

When did you know McCourt was going to be a failure as the Dodgers’ owner?

For Bud Selig:

How much did you really know about steroids throughout the 90’s?

What did you really think would happen with Frank McCourt? When did you know he wasn’t the guy?

For Mark Cuban:

Will you please buy the Dodgers already?!

For David Stern:

Did you make Jordan retire because of gambling?

Who wins in a fight- Prokerov or Cuban?

For EVERY major college basketball and football coach:

Who was paid to go to your school and how much?

For EVERY Major League Baseball player who played between 1980 and now:

How much performance enhancing drugs did you use and for how long?

There are so many questions that could be asked, I could have sat here for hours and hours writing them. I’ll leave it there for now and ask you the question: WHAT WOULD YOU ASK?

When trying to capture the overall implications of this most recent trade deadline, one needs to realize that there were a lot of risks taken and futures mortgaged. There hasn’t been a deadline similar to this in recent memory where so many superstars were swapped. Some trades could be honestly questioned. Some made complete sense. Some teams made out and some teams got taken for the proverbial ride. Let’s go ahead and delve into “who, to where, for what and why?”

The headline for months was the much hyped “Melo-drama,” as it was so cleverly described. We couldn’t see that one coming, could we? While ESPN’s Chris Broussard basically conjured the validity of a Carmelo Anthony for Andrew Bynum trade out of thin air, the real competition in the waning days for Anthony’s services was between New Jersey and New York.

It was much publicised that New Jersey was having significant talks with Denver up to about a month ago, when in a display of impatience, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov nixed all talks between the two. They became the New Jersey “Nyets.” Most thought this was due to Denver simply needing more in return for an Anthony package than New Jersey was willing to give up. The truth of the matter may have been that Prokhorov finally saw the light and realized what was truly going on.

It had been blatantly obvious from day one of all trade discussion that Carmelo wanted to be a New York Knick. He is from New York and saw playing in the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden, as a life-long dream. While the Nets have particular fan strongholds in the New York/New Jersey area, and even though they started vertical construction on their new Brooklyn Barclays Center three months ago, they are no competition for the Knicks as far as the brightly lit stage of the big city of dreams is concerned.

Prokhorov is no idiot. He is the 89th richest man in the world. You don’t find yourself at that level of wealth by getting played by 30-year old team presidents and general managers like Josh Kroenke and Masai Ujiri. He finally came to the realization that the Nuggets were only using trade discussions with his Nets as a leverage play against New York. If New York thought New Jersey was a player and had a legit shot to score Anthony, Denver could trade him to New York, where he was inevitably going to go anyway, for much less than they would have had New Jersey not been in the picture.

All of this front-office analysis aside, what does this trade do for the bottom line of buckets?

The Nuggets parted with a superstar in Anthony, as well as a serviceable point guard, albeit in the sunset of his career, in Chauncey Billups. The less newsworthy of these two players was a significant part of this deal. Billups still can hit big shots, is one of the best veteran leaders in the league, and will mesh with Knicks Coach Mike D’Antoni’s run-and-gun system almost instantly. New York also got throw-in forwards; Renaldo Balkman, who was originally drafted by New York in 2006, and Shelden Williams, whose only note of significance in his meager NBA career has been being the husband of WNBA superstar Candice Parker.  Quite a resume.

The Knicks parted with a young and improving point guard in Raymond Felton, as well as New York sociological attraction, Italian forward Danilo Gallanari. Also headed to the Rocky Mountains are roundly-skilled forward Wilson Chandler and big-man project Timofey Mozgov.

The Nuggets got a full hockey line, but the Knicks got a superstar, a championship-seasoned veteran and two expiring and insignificant contracts. While each team got a lot of what they needed for the point each franchise currently is in their overall process, the advantage still has to go to the Big Apple. A top five superstar is a top five superstar, especially packaged with a solid veteran point guard.  You trade what is needed to be able to acquire these two if you are the Knicks, even if you have to give up your right arm and your first-born to get them.

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A cornerstone and respected leader in this league, Jerry Sloan, retires? The longest tenured coach in the NBA just walks away after twenty-two seasons right in the middle of his twenty-third? Now that all-star point guard Deron Williams has been traded to New Jersey two weeks after this unpredicted turn of events, popular and reasonable belief can only consider two options as to why Sloan walked away. Either Williams did what he could to push Sloan out the door through open defiance simply out of his own choice, or the “bling” in his left ear that should belong on Kate Middleton’s finger whispered to do the same because old man Sloan was cramping his style. Either way, Williams played a part, and I have a feeling Jazz management and ownership saw the writing on the wall. The fact that Williams was going to become a free agent in 2012 only had something to do with his ousting. His attitude and arrogance is what ultimately got him shoved out the door and banished to one of the league’s worst situations.

Not only did Utah get to unload an egotistical malcontent, but they made out with the biggest trade deadline steal in recent memory. Williams may be arguably the most complete point guard in the NBA today, but he is still only one player. Last I checked, Deron Williams can’t pass the ball to Deron Williams.

In return for Williams, the Jazz received a solid point guard replacement in Devin Harris. They also acquired last year’s number two overall pick in the draft, twenty year-old potential-phenom forward, Derrick Favors. Giving up on this kid so soon is seemingly a display of impatient haste by the Nets, is it not?

What a great deal for the Jazz, given there was no way Williams was going to resign with Utah after next season, right? Well, that’s not all they got. Let’s toss in two first-round draft picks, one from the Nets and one from the Golden State Warriors.  Both of these picks could very well be lottery picks, given the foreseeable ineptitude of New Jersey and Golden State in the coming years. Wait, that’s not all? How bout three million in cash for the pocket as icing on the cake? A top ten to fifteen point guard, a number two overall pick who is twenty, two potential lottery picks, and cash?  For one player?  Feliz Navidad, Utah.

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In the most questionable move made when considering the implications of the real race for the ultimate prize this season, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge sent stalwart center Kendrick Perkins to Oklahoma City along with jitter-bug guard Nate Robinson. Wait, I thought Perkins getting hurt during last year’s finals was the sole reason you guys couldn’t get over on the Lakers, Danny?  He is supposedly that important to your team in crunch-time, yet he is this movable less than a year later? Sounds like that excuse back then was just a cry for a crutch, reminiscent of the squeaking from Paul Pierce’s wheelchair brakes. Yes, this trade has now proven that was in fact cow excrement you were smelling from the mouths of New Englanders after the Lakers were celebrating the spoils last year. How does your excuse look now, crybabies?

On the red-eye to the land of “chowdah” comes former Thunder forwards Nenad Kristic and Jeff Green. Green was originally drafted by the Celtics, and was then subsequently traded on a draft-day deal to the then Seattle Supersonics for Ray Allen. Ainge was obviously high on Green that draft, but when given the opportunity to add a sharpshooter like Allen to the centerpiece of Paul Pierce and at the time, recently signed free agent Kevin Garnett, he sold out.

While that move then ended up helping bring a championship to Boston in 2008, Ainge now making the deal for Green reeks of desperation, ego, and a chance at some sort of twisted “I told you so.” When you consider the thought-process of the idea behind the trade, Ainge claiming Green could be the heir-apparent to Kevin Garnett, what he gave up to be able to claim this possibility is borderline comical.  Ainge trading Perkins for Green because he kind of ‘reminds’ him of Garnett is the equivalent of Mitch Kupchak trading Andrew Bynum for Thaddeus Young because he kind of ‘reminds’ him of Lamar Odom. Way to go, Danny. This is the move that people will point to when you are forced out the door in a few seasons.

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As the schedule continues, unflappable to the time needed to digest all the recent changes in the league-wide chemistry, the positioning for playoff seeding will obviously become more heated than it has been to this point. Now comes this very segment we have all been debating for months, and with the shock of these recent moves, questions instantly arise:

Can the Lakers ‘flip the switch’ and make child’s play of the Western Conference like in recent years past?

Is the Spurs’ chase-rabbit record really who they are?  Did regular season records do anything for the Cavaliers the past two seasons? Can unproven playoff role-players like George Hill, Dejuan Blair and Gary Neal become championship-level counterparts?

Does Dallas still even have a seat at the Western Conference table?  Are they to be taken as a serious threat?

Is the addition of Kendrick Perkins the much needed ingredient of inside presence the Thunder need to be an actual and legitimate player in the Western Conference shakedown?

Can the defensive blockade Tom Thibodeau’s Bulls are displaying carry them up to the level of the Eastern Conference elite, and most importantly, carry them in a seven-game series?

Are Dwight Howard and Stan Van Gundy’s mess of wing players even relevant as we come down the finish line?

Will Danny’s Ainge’s ego in trying to prove he was right about Jeff Green cost the Celtics a realistic chance at the title in their now dwindling years near the top? I know this much for sure, Laker and Heat fans are ecstatic about the loss of Kendrick Perkins. The Lakers now hold a distinct size advantage and the Heat now don’t have such a size discrepancy against Boston.

And lastly, as far as the Heat, will the most gravy-trained collection of elite stars in recent memory topple the naysayers? Will they reach The NBA Finals in their first try at conceived and orchestrated glory? Good luck big three. You’re going to have to drag your dirty-dozen along with you en route to a title. The bricks of Mike Miller and James Jones are building a structure of mediocrity thus far for the level of overall talent you have boasted. The Heatles? Give me a break, “King.” Win something, then talk. I’ve never heard of a King who doesn’t have a crown, you paper champ.

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Questions and vemon aside, when all is said and done, the choices made and paths sought at this deadline will effect these upcoming moves as much as they will effect numerous moves down the road. Some teams played for now and some teams played for later.  Playoff-time reveals destiny, and the free will of the trade deadline move-makers plays a major role in the fate of the actual move-makers on the court.  Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, the time to really make your move is upon us.