Former Houston Rockets Goran Dragic and Luis Scola now wear the colors of the Phoenix Suns. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Phoenix Suns traded Steve Nash to the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason. It was a stunning move since the Lakers are a huge Pacific Division rival, but it was also a necessary move.

The Suns are focused on rebuilding so they settled for a couple low-level first-round picks in 2013 and 2015 and a couple of second-rounders. After negotiating that trade, the Suns went out and added players left and right as they showed a willingness to field a competitive team this season.

They signed guard Goran Dragic, bringing him back for a second go-round. He will run the point and he did a pretty good job for the Houston Rockets last season when Kyle Lowry went down with an injury. Dragic averaged 17.8 points per game and 7.9 assists in 28 starts. They already have a solid big man in Marcin Gortat (15.4 points and 10 rebounds). Dragic will probably be running the pick-and-roll with him a lot.

Luis Scola was surprisingly amnestied by the Rockets and the Suns swooped in and picked up a solid 15-point, eight-rebound guy. Dragic and Scola were teammates in Houston, so this should bode well in terms of team chemistry.

They also picked up Michael Beasley, a volume shooter with a very questionable attitude. This was a bit perplexing to me. I thought starting Jared Dudley would have been a better idea. He’s a better defender than Beasley and can score. PJ. Tucker could’ve used 13-15 minutes per game as a backup to see what he could do or if he has a future with the Suns. And they could have saved the money they spent on Beasley.

They traded Robin Lopez to Minnesota for Wesley Johnson and another first-round pick. Johnson hasn’t played as well as many expected when he was drafted fourth overall by the T-Wolves, but he is a solid defender.

The Suns drafted North Carolina product Kendall Marshall, and he should be a solid backup to Dragic. Sebastian Telfair may find it hard to make the team, or find minutes if he does make the roster. Marshall may eventually replace Dragic as the starter within a few years. The kid has some major potential.

The Suns will most likely go with a starting lineup of: Dragic, Johnson, Beasley, Scola, and Gortat.

Doesn’t exactly strike fear in the opposing team, but it should be a decent enough team to compete while they learn to play together and gel as a cohesive unit. This is a young team whose average age is 26.6 years old. Maybe that’s why they added veteran Jermaine O’Neal to backup Gortat.

Projected finish in the Pacific Division: Fourth (may win 35-38 games)

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at: djroxalot@hotmail.com

The Houston Rockets have their sights set on Orlando Magic All-Star center Dwight Howard. (GETTY IMAGES)

Many people around the NBA have to be wondering what the Houston Rockets are doing. This is a team that just barely missed out on making the playoffs in the final weeks of the season. But, they seem intent on blowing it up and starting over.

They have traded Kyle Lowry (understandable since he said he didn’t want to be there) for a first-round draft pick, but then they basically let Goran Dragic walk to Phoenix when they tendered him an offer. They gave Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin crazy back-loaded deals that pay them way too much in the third years: $15 million for Asik, and $14 million for Lin. They used the amnesty clause on Luis Scola, who has been a pretty solid and underrated power forward the last three seasons.

Now, the reason for all this is the possible acquisition of Dwight Howard. But he would benefit from having a legit PF next to to him – if Houston were to actually get him. And if they do, it’s basically a rental situation. Howard has not said he would sign an extension or that he wants to play for the Rockets.

The Rockets could have used the amnesty on injury-prone Kevin Martin, who rarely suits up. Scola has several years left on his deal and Martin has just a year left and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

But let’s say the Rockets get Howard and Lin (if the Knicks don’t match). They have a Big 3 of Howard, Martin and Lin? Sure, they have an excellent center in Howard, but they have a shooting guard who has averaged 59 games in his eight-year career and a point guard in Lin who showed flashes but is still a work in progress. That’s not going to strike fear in any team, in my opinion, and they won’t be instant playoff contenders (more likely fighting for the 6-8 spots in the Western Conference.

And if they don’t get Howard? They are a lottery team. But, they would have traded their first-round picks (the offer is four first-rounders) and some nice young talent such as Jeremy Lamb, Royce White, and Terrence Jones.

If the Howard deal falls apart (and this is a strong possibility), the entire Rockets front office should be cleaned out. This is too big of a gamble to just stink it up for the next 2-3 years and be an expansion-type team. People will need to be held accountable. Michael Jordan had a borderline playoff team in Charlotte with Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson when he traded them both and decided to get draft picks.

Basically, robbing the fans of their hard earned money.

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at djroxalot@hotmail.com.

Steve Nash will team up with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, giving the Lakers the best backcourt tandem in the NBA. (GETTY IMAGES)

Well, well, well. Just when you thought the obituary for the Los Angeles Lakers had already been written, here comes Steve Nash.

One day after Deron Williams and the New Jersey Nets made the biggest splash in the 2012 free agency period, the Los Angeles Lakers dropped a massive firecracker over the rest of the league on the Fourth of July. Nash, the two-time NBA MVP and future Hall-of-Famer, is headed to Hollywood to join fellow all-stars Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. The Phoenix Suns and the Lakers agreed on a sign-and-trade deal Wednesday that sends the 38-year-old Nash to the Lakers in exchange for draft picks and cash.

The deal won’t become official until July 11, but several media outlets have confirmed the deal and ESPN writer Marc Stein reported that Bryant’s determined persuasion closed the most stunning deal of the summer. Nash will reportedly get a three-year deal worth $27 million.

The Lakers swept in at the last minute, leaving Phoenix, New York, and Toronto in the dust. The Raptors fired the first offer, a three-year, $34 million offer, which was followed by the Knicks’ enticing sign-and-trade proposal.

But neither the Raptors nor the Knicks could offer Nash an opportunity to win now and be a champion. An NBA title ring is the only gem missing in Nash’s jewelry case and he knew, if joined forces with Kobe, the Lakers would jump over San Antonio and Oklahoma City as the top dog in the Western Conference. After a few chats with Kobe, Nash reached out to the Suns and pitched the sign-and-trade idea.

“I approached [the Suns] and asked if they would be willing to do a sign-and-trade deal with L.A. because it is very important to me to stay near my children and family,” Nash said. “They were apprehensive and didn’t want to do it. Fortunately for me, they reconsidered.

“They saw that they were able to get assets for their team that will make them better, assets they would not have otherwise had and it made sense for them to do a deal that helps their team get better. I couldn’t be more grateful to the organization.”

Leaving the Suns was tough on Nash, who is a loyal guy and thought the world of Phoenix. He could have easily signed with the Lakers without the sign-and-trade, but he didn’t want Phoenix to be left empty handed. Once the Nash deal was done, the Suns acted quickly as they reached an agreement with free agent point guard Goran Dragic to fill the void. So don’t feel too bad for the Suns.

[RELATED: THE 10 BEST POINT GUARDS IN THE NBA]

With Nash at point guard, Kobe at shooting guard, Ron Artest at small forward, Pau Gasol at power forward, and Andrew Bynum at center, the Lakers now have the best starting five in the NBA. No team comes close to what the Lakers have — an All-Star at each position.

After battling each other in the Pacific Division for nearly a decade, Nash and Bryant now form arguably the greatest backcourt tandem the league has ever seen. The Nash-Kobe combo is easily the best Laker backcourt since Gail Goodrich and Jerry West. The Lakers are the only team in the league with two regular-season MVPs on their roster.

What hurt the Lakers last season was offensive execution. The ball stopped moving, Kobe dominated the ball too much, and Gasol and Bynum didn’t get enough touches.

In the playoffs, the Lakers broke 100 points only three times. Nash instantly makes the Lakers a lethal offensive team and he will fix whatever ails them. Nash will become the offensive coordinator, and head coach Mike Brown can focus on defensive game plans.

Nash’s new teammate can’t wait for the season to start. “Even if Steve Nash is not initiating the offense you still can’t leave him open,” Artest said.

Aside from his usual steady ballhandling and pinpoint passing, Nash is a career 50% shooter from the field. He ranks fifth all-time in assists at 9,916, just behind Lakers legend Magic Johnson who had 10,141 assists. He has a 16-point career average and shoots 90% from the free throw line. Nash is one of five regular-season MVPs without a championship ring. Derrick Rose, Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley, and Karl Malone are the others. LeBron James removed himself from this dubious list this past season, and Nash would love to do the same.

Defense is the only weakness in Nash’s game, but with 7-footers Bynum and Gasol protecting the rim Nash shouldn’t have to worry about shutting anyone down in the perimeter.

“If we played together, we will be amazing,” Artest said. “With an A, H, and then an M, A, Z, Z, and I, N, G. It will be Ahmazzing!”

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Kevin Garnett and Antawn Jamison will become free agents this summer. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

There are some quality players available this summer for those teams that have money under the NBA’s salary cap and here is one jabroni’s opinion on the top talent available:

1-Kevin Garnett

KG played well in the postseason and showed that he can still bring his A game when needed. For the first couple rounds of the playoffs, he was the NBA’s possible postseason MVP.

2-Gerald Wallace

He has decided to opt out and test the free agent market. Wallace is an excellent defender that can also provide 15 points per game to a team that needs a third or even a fourth option on offense. And he will get paid.

3-Chris Kaman

He might be often injured, but he will be in demand. That’s for sure. When DeAndre Jordan signed a four-year contract worth $12.8 million per season before last season, this assured Kaman will get a very similar deal since he is a better offensive option at center. Kaman would be a very nice fit on a team like the Boston Celtics that need a legit center in the low post.

4-Kris Humphries

Humphries isn’t a top 5 PF, but he averaged just under 14 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. He is a solid option that would be a seamless fit for a lot of teams. If the Indiana Pacers hadn’t signed David West last year he would have been a perfect fit on their team. Some team will be very happy with a very good young player.

5-Goran Dragic

Talk about a player that took advantage of an opportunity. Dragic averaged 18 points and eight assists per game in 28 starts when Kyle Lowry got injured. He is a good ball-handler, passer and a solid outside shooter.

6-Spencer Hawes

A lot like Humphries, he isn’t a top-five center, but he is a top-10 center in the NBA. He reminds me a lot of a younger Brad Miller. He’s a good rebounder and passer, a solid scorer and an improving defender.

7-Ray Allen

He can still shoot and would be a solid fit on the Los Angeles Clippers or Chicago Bulls.

8-Nate Robinson

He probably isn’t a starter for most teams, but he provides a lot of energy and scoring off the bench.

9-Brandon Bass

Bass decided to opt out to test the free agent market after a solid season in Boston where he averaged 12 points and six rebounds.

10-Antawn Jamison

His starting days might be numbered, but he’d be an excellent sixth man on a contending team that needs instant offense on their second unit. You wouldn’t want to bring him in to start because he tends to be a chucker, but a very viable option as a backup.

Others that are available are:

Andre Miller

He is a steady influence as a PG and could play late into his career like Jason Kidd has. His game isn’t built on speed and quickness, but rather intelligence and smart basketball play.

Leandro Barbosa

A solid scoring presence off the bench, but he is slowing down a bit.

Carl Landry

Undersized tweener forward, but he gets the most out of his talent and plays hard. He hustles and provides a lot of energy off the bench.

Darren Jacks is contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Email him at djroxalot@gmail.com.

Suns backup point guard Goran Dragic scored 23 of his team-high 26 points in the fourth quarter. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

Those who watched the Phoenix Suns take apart the San Antonio Spurs in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series were all wondering the same thing: Who is Goran Dragic?

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is probably losing sleep right about now thinking about Goran Dragic, who had scored just four points in the first two games of the series.

Spurs point guard Tony Parker is probably watching tape right now trying to figure how he got outplayed by a second-year guard playing in his first postseason.

And it’s a good thing Alvin Gentry is the head coach for the Suns because Mike D’Antoni would never have played Dragic deep into the fourth quarter in an important playoff game.

Through the first three quarters, Dragic had just three points. But something happened in the fourth quarter and Dragic caught lightning in a bottle, scoring 23 of his team-high 26 points in the fourth to lead the Suns to a stunning 110-96 victory in Game 3 and take a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Dragic and Leandro Barbosa led a Suns second unit that helped the Suns outscore the Spurs 39-24 in the fourth quarter. The Suns benched outscored the Spurs, 48-28, for the game.

“Steve who?” Gentry asked reporters during his postgame news conference, poking fun at the fact that he didn’t need his All-Star guard because Dragic played so well down the stretch.

The Suns’ backup point guard was a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter, and when he wasn’t nailing outside shots he was destroying the Spurs interior defense with his dribble penetration and some clever footwork and lefty floaters in the paint.

“Obviously, LB and Goran played great in the fourth quarter. They just stepped it up,” Gentry said of his backup guards, who combined for 39 points and seven 3-pointers. Barbosa had 13 points in 18 minutes and made five of seven shots from the field.

[The Spurs] were switching and we said we had to attack the switches, and I thought [Goran] and LB did a great job attacking the switches,” said Gentry, who should be credited for staying with his second unit for the entire fourth quarter.

“When we put him in the game, we told him ‘You have to be aggressive,’ ” Gentry said of Dragic. “Even at the chance of making a mistake he’s gotta be aggressive because when he is I think people forget what a great athlete he is. He’s as fast with the ball than anyone we got on our team. When he’s playing with confidence, he’s got a lot of tricks and shoots the ball exceptionally well.”

“I love that kid. He’s a teacher’s pet, and he has worked so hard to get to where he is right now,” Gentry said of the 6-foot-3 guard from Slovenia, who was acquired by the Suns through in a draft-day trade in 2008. “He’ll do anything to please the coaching staff and the guys on this team. I’m just happy for him. You won’t meet a better kid.”

With Dragic and Barbosa taking turns in creating offense for the highest scoring team in the league, the Suns were able to chip away at the Spurs’ lead and Barbosa’s layup and 3-pointer with less than 10 minutes left in the fourth gave the Suns an 80-76 lead.

“It’s been tough for Leandro simply because J-Rich is playing so well there hasn’t been a lot of time for LB to play. But when he’s gotten in there, he’s done some good things,” Gentry said of Barbosa.

“In general, their second team kicked our butt,” Popovich said. “Their second team was fantastic. Their whole team showed a lot of character.”

The Spurs now face elimination, and no team in NBA history has won a series after being down 0-3.