Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell is now a Laker. (GETTY IMAGES)

This year’s draft was supposed to be the rebirth of the Los Angeles Lakers brand. After Minnesota took Karl-Anthony Towns the Lakers were poised to land arguably the best center in the draft in Duke center Jahlil Okafor. It was a marriage made in basketball heaven, right? The Lakers and a dominant center. You couldn’t have scripted it any better.

But somewhere along the evaluation and interview process the Lakers’ top brass, which included team president Jim Buss, general manager Mitch Kupchak and head coach Byron Scott, felt Okafor didn’t fit the plan.

So, instead of taking the 6-11, 270-pound big man who some were calling “the next Tim Duncan,” the Lakers decided to use their No. 2 overall pick on Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell.

It was the draft day tremor that shook up the NBA. It seemed like everyone thought the Lakers were going to take Okafor. Well, everyone except the Lakers.

Kupchak has hinted for weeks that the Lakers were looking for a player who fits the new point-guard-driven style, and someone who can play multiple positions. Obviously Kupchak and the Lakers were glued to their TV screens during the playoffs, watching Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors driving, dishing and shooting their way to an NBA title.

The Warriors’ small ball style made such an impression on the Lakers that it made them re-evaluate a time-tested formula that you build your team inside-out and draft a center. L.A. ignored its championship history with big men — from Mikan to Wilt to Kareem to Shaq — and chose a guard with average foot speed and an inconsistent jumper.

Russell is a good player with some physical gifts. He’s a big point guard who can play off the ball and makes some nice passes. But he is also an average athlete who struggles against elite defenders. The one game that stuck out was his matchup against Arizona in the NCAA tournament. Russell was bottled up by T.J. McConnell and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and went 3-for-19 from the field.

Despite some glaring weaknesses the Lakers are convinced Russell is the man to lead the franchise into the post-Kobe Bryant era. In fact, Scott believes “D’Angelo has a chance to be a superstar.”

“Talent-wise, he might be the best player in the draft,” Scott said of the 6-5 guard who turned 19 in February.

Scott said he was impressed by Russell’s second workout, where he displayed qualities such as leadership, shooting and passing.

“The decision that was made was to basically take the best player available,” Scott said. “We really felt this kid was special.”

It would have been different if Jerry West was the one evaluating the draft for the Lakers. But were are taking about Kupchak and Buss, and you can include Scott in the mix. None of them have West’s uncanny ability to scout talent.

Since West left the organization in 2002, the Lakers haven’t exactly hit the lottery with their draft picks. Remember Toney Douglas, Devin Ebanks and Javaris Crittendon? Those are names that’ll make any Lakers fan cringe.

Time will tell if the Lakers bungled the 2015 draft. Russell could turn out to be a solid NBA pro and enjoy a long career. But one thing he’ll never be is dominant. Great centers come around once every 10 years. You can find a really good point guard just about every year in the draft.

Go big or go home, right? That’s the NBA slogan. Apparently the Lakers missed that message.

All-Star center Dwight Howard is on his way to Hollywood to join forces with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Deron Williams returned to the Nets, Steve Nash and Dwight Howard are headed to Hollywood, and Jason Terry is moving from Dallas to Boston. The 2012 NBA offseason had plenty of franchise-altering moves — most of which benefited the major markets. So much for competitive balance. Some teams did better than others (ahem! Lakers), while most stayed above the fray and maintained status quo. OneManFastBreak.net highlights the winners and losers:

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Mitch Kupchak locked up executive of the year with his two monumental moves this summer. He pried Nash from the Phoenix Suns (a division rival) to give Kobe Bryant the best point guard he’s ever had. Then, he shocked the basketball world by acquiring the best center in the world without giving up all-star Pau Gasol. With Nash, Kobe, Ron Artest, Gasol, and Howard, the Lakers have easily the best starting five in the NBA and arguably the greatest starting five in basketball history. The Lakers’ Fab Five are armed with two league MVPs, two defensive players of the year, and the most skilled big man in the game. Even at age 38, Nash is still a terrific playmaker and he’ll make sure Gasol and Howard will get their touches on the offensive end. The Lakers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs mainly because their offense faltered and did not execute. Nash will step into the role of offensive coordinator and he’ll instantly make the Lakers a lethal offensive team. Howard adds to the Lakers’ great history of dominant centers, joining Mikan, Wilt, Kareem, and Shaq.

[VIDEO: DWIGHT HOWARD TRADED TO THE L.A. LAKERS]

BOSTON CELTICS

Boston reached the Eastern Conference finals in 2012 despite a gimpy Paul Pierce and a hobbling Ray Allen. Priority No. 1 in the offseason was to bring back Kevin Garnett. The Big Ticket re-signed with the Celtics, assuring he’ll retire a Celtic, and then general manager Danny Ainge added more firepower on offense by signing shooting guard Jason Terry, a member of the Mavericks’ 2011 championship squad. Terry addresses a major issue for Boston: scoring. He’ll help the Celtics avoid long scoring droughts with his ability to create his own shot and not have to depend on point guard Rajon Rondo to feed him the ball off screens. Terry can also serve as a backup point guard, giving head coach Doc Rivers more flexibility on offense.

BROOKLYN NETS

Deron Williams was arguably the biggest catch of the summer, and he was the first to decide where he wanted to play. Williams re-signing with the Nets gives the Brooklyn franchise a centerpiece and a name on the billboard of the team’s brand new arena. But Williams won’t be alone on that billboard. All-Star guard Joe Johnson was acquired from Atlanta, giving the Nets a studly backcourt combo and plenty of firepower. The team also re-signed power forward Kris Humphries to bolster its frontline. Now, if the Mikhail Prokorov can convince Dwight Howard to join the Brooklyn party then the Nets will be the biggest winner of the summer.

HOUSTON ROCKETS

Daryl Morey caught a lot of flak for letting Goran Dragic, Kyle Lowry, and Luis Scola leave town without compensation and then signed Jeremy Lin to a $25-million contract. On the outside, it looks like the Rockets are throwing in the towel. But if you look closely, Morey is fielding a team that is cap-friendly. Lin is going to be The Man in Houston, picking up the Asian fan votes vacated by Yao Ming. Lin should fit in nicely in Kevin McHale’s free-flowing, pick-and-roll heavy offense, and that’s likely the biggest reason why he chose Houston over New York (oh, the $14.8 million on the third year of the deal ain’t bad either).

Jeremy Lin signed a three-year, $25-million deal with the Rockets. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Rockets are cleaning house for the right reasons. First-round draft picks Jeremy Lamb and Terrence Jones are very good young players, and they should figure into McHale’s rotation from the start. The Rockets’ offseason is a perfect case of addition by subtraction.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Ever since Allen Iverson left town, Philly fans have been craving for star. Enter Andrew Bynum. Bynum gives the Sixers their first significant low-post threat since Moses Malone and he immediately turns the Sixers into one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. He’s arguably the second-best center in the NBA and, at 24, his ceiling is so high he has only begun to scratch the surface of the roof. Bynum, who won two championships with the Lakers, will be The Man in Philadelphia and his big body (7 feet, 290 pounds) in the paint will alter the way the Sixers play on both ends. Joining Bynum in Philly are free agents Jason Richardson, Nick Young, and Dorell Wright.

DALLAS MAVERICKS

When Deron Williams announced his decision to stay with the Nets instead of joining the Mavericks, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News tweeted this gem: “Russian 1, Cuban 0.” That, of course, is in reference to the Nets owner, Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, getting over Mavs owner Mark Cuban, who was hoping to lure Williams to play in his home state of Texas. The Williams decision had a domino effect in the Mavs’ plan. Dallas’ all-out-effort to land Williams made Kidd a little leftout. Nobody likes to be second choice, so Kidd chose his own path by signing with the Knicks. But Kidd wasn’t the only Mavs guard to defect. Longtime Maverick Jason Terry, a member of the team’s 2011 championship team along with Kidd, is taking his talents to Beantown and join the Celtics. So, if you’re still keeping score, it’s now Free Agency 3, Cuban 0.

CHICAGO BULLS

The only good news this summer for Chicago are the improving health of Derrick Rose coming off knee surgery and the return of Kirk Hinrich, a big piece of the Bulls’ resurgence in 2008. But take away the Hinrich signing and the Bulls have had a nightmarish offseason. Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, John Lucas, C.J. Watson, and Omer Asik are all gone. All five were important cogs off the Bulls bench. Korver was arguably the Bulls’ best player in the fourth quarter, while Brewer and Asik are very good defenders. Lucas and Watson are not all-star players, but they both did an admirable job in Rose’s absence. Continuity is a big part of a championship team, and the Bulls are basically starting over with an entirely new bench unit (Marco Belinelli, Vladimir Radmanovic, and rookie point guard Marquis Teague) for the 2012-13 season. Belinelli is nowhere near the shooting Korver is, and Radmanovic is not someone you want guarding LeBron James — or any small forward for that matter — in the fourth quarter.

NEW YORK KNICKS

Phil Jackson calls the New York Knicks a “clumsy” team, and the Knicks tripped over themselves this offseason by not getting Nash. Then the Knicks made a bold move by signing veteran point guard Jason Kidd. The former Mavericks playmaker could turn out to be a better option because Kidd won’t mind running Mike Woodson’s isolation offense. Then the Knicks signed Raymond Felton, which was a little bit of a head-scratcher considering Felton was grossly out of shape last season and now he’s being rewarded for his unprofessionalism. The Felton signing basically forced fan favorite Jeremy Lin out of the rotation, and now New York enters the season the same way they left it — too many players playing the same positions. Lin was a cash cow for the MSG network and time will tell if Lin fans will keep following the Knicks.

ORLANDO MAGIC

In his letter to Magic season ticket holders, CEO Alex Martins wrote: “We look forward to this next chapter of Magic basketball and remain committed to our mission: To be world champions on and off the court, delivering legendary moments every step of the way.” Hmm. In order to win a championship, you must first qualify for the playoffs and, without Howard, Orlando will be far from being a playoff contender for the next few years. Martins and general manager Rob Hennigan were put in a tough spot. Howard made it clear that he wanted out of Orlando, but Martins and Hennigan failed to get the right deal. Sure they got some draft picks, but those won’t matter unless they’re lottery picks. It took Orlando nearly a decade to recover from the breakup with Shaquille O’Neal. When Howard came along, he made Orlando love basketball again. After eight years of basketball bliss, L.A. swoops in and breaks Orlando’s heart yet again. It’s like losing another girlfriend to the same guy 16 years later.

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

Luis Scola and Pau Gasol battle for a loose ball during a game at Staples Center in Los Angeles. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Los Angeles Lakers need to fix their team on the fly.

For the second straight year they got bounced out of the NBA playoffs in the second round by a better team. They played better than they did last year in getting swept by the Dallas Mavericks, but it still isn’t good enough for the Lakers who are used to competing for an NBA title.

Mitch Kupchak is being targeted by the Orlando Magic as their new GM, but he is still under contract and he needs to make a deal or two to get the Lakers back to competing as a legit contender. And I have some ideas on how he can do this.

Kyle Lowry has recently stated he may need to be traded because he believes Houston will not be able to keep himself and Goran Dragic. “I don’t think so,” Lowry, 26, told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “I honestly think it would be tough. Things have to be addressed. The situation would have to be addressed. If things aren’t addressed coaching-wise, I guess I have to be moved.”

The Rockets were interested in Pau Gasol earlier this season because Rockets coach Kevin McHale likes to have a big PF like Pau to pair with Samuel Dalembert in their frontcourt. The Lakers should offer Gasol for Luis Scola and Lowry.

This way if Ramon Sessions decides to opt out (and he said he would before the playoffs began) they have a better PG in Lowry and in Scola they have an underrated power forward who has shown he can be a very good player. Next to Andrew Bynum, he might even be better in Los Angeles.

If the Lakers use the amnesty clause on Metta World Peace, let Sessions and Troy Murphy walk, they save about $ 14 million. By letting MWP walk they can develop Devin Ebanks and Christian Eyenga at small forward. Ebanks showed some flashes when Kobe Bryant was sidelined at the end of the regular season and Eyenga is an athletic player who could turn into a solid defender.

They can use half of the midlevel exception ($2.5 million) to bring back Jordan Hill, who played well after the trade of Derek Fisher and a first-round pick to the Rockets. Hill provided energy and hustle off the bench as well as several double-double games (points and rebounds) — something they didn’t get from Murphy and Josh McRoberts.

These moves would make the Lakers a lot better and keep L.A. in the hunt for a Western Conference finals appearance and a possible berth in the NBA Finals next season.

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

The Lakers gave up a first-round pick to obtain point guard Ramon Sessions from Cleveland. (GETTY IMAGES)

So, the trade deadline came and went.

The Lakers didn’t make the big move everyone thought they might do in shipping Pau Gasol out and tinkering with the lineup that won them two NBA titles. But, they made a very wise and shrewd move in picking up Ramon Sessions (along with Christian Eyenga) from the Cleveland Cavaliers for Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, a first-round pick in the 2012 NBA draft and a little less than $1 million in cash. In order to shed some light on this solid pickup, I am going to give a brief rundown on this underappreciated player.

Sessions played for Nevada for three years before declaring for the NBA draft in 2007 and was selected in the second round (No. 56 overall) by the Milwaukee Bucks. He was regarded as a solid passer, but he wasn’t thought to be very athletic and there were questions about his ability to score in the NBA (as proven by his 12.3 points per game his junior year with the Wolf Pack).

But the Bucks had Mo Williams and Charlie Bell to play point guard and they weren’t really in need of another PG at the time. So, the Bucks made him the first ever NBA D-League player when they assigned him to the Tulsa 66ers where he excelled. He was called up to the Bucks in January of 2008 and began to slowly get some playing time with Milwaukee. Sessions had a game where he demonstrated his excellent passing and court vision by dishing out 24 assists in a single game versus the Chicago Bulls.

Despite playing well and averaging 11.6 points per game and six assists per game in 1 1/4 seasons with Milwaukee, the Bucks drafted Brandon Jennings in 2009 with the 10th overall pick. Seeing the writing on the wall, Sessions signed a four-year $16-million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves a few months later. He came off the bench for the Wolves in 2009 because they drafted Jonny Flynn and wanted to start him ahead of Ramon, despite Sessions being the better shooter and being a ball-handler.

In July of 2010, he was traded along with Ryan Hollins for Sebastian Telfair and Delonte West. In 2011, he made 38 starts and played in all 82 games. Statistically speaking, he had a breakout season with 13.3 points per game and 5.2 assists per game while sinking 46.6% of his field goal attempts and 82.3% of his free throws in just 26.3 minutes per game.

However, Cleveland was in the unenviable position of reloading their team after the LeBron James “decision.” Cleveland decided to draft college phenom Kyrie Irving, who spent just one season at Duke where he played in just 11 games before sustaining a season ending injury.This season, Sessions played very well backing up Irving and filling in for him as a stater. He had 13 assists and another game where he had 16 assists, displaying a passing proficiency Irving has not. Trading for Sessions is a very solid one by Mitch Kupchak and will make the Lakers a very tough team to beat come playoff time.

Sessions made his Lakers debut on March 16 and looked pretty damn good in just 19 minutes of action off the bench. He made three of six field goal attempts for seven points, he handed out five assists, and grabbed four rebounds. Not great, but not too shabby for not knowing much of the offense. If Sessions can average 13 points and 7-8 assists he certainly gives the Lakers a much better option at PG than they had before the trade. And his first game in limited minutes show that is definitely a possibility. His per 36-minute stats this year average out to about 15 points and 7.6 assists. And Sessions is a huge upgrade defensively against the ultra-quick guards in the Western Conference.

Sessions is an unrestricted FA in the offseason, but winning will certainly play a factor in him picking up his player option and winning just got a whole lot more realistic for the Lakers.

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

The Lakers' formidable duo of Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant aim for a three-peat this season.

The Los Angeles Lakers recently started training camp at their team facility in El Segundo, Calif., without little fanfare. There were no one-hour ESPN specials to announce their existence and there were no pyrotechnics to introduce Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson and Pau Gasol – the real Three Kings of the NBA.

Unlike their neighbors from South Beach who boasted that they are going to set the league on fire this season, it’s business as usual for the Lakers – and that’s how they like it in Title Town. The two-time defending NBA champions don’t need to flex their muscles or brag to everyone how great they are. Those 10 gold ball trophies sitting in their practice facility speak for themselves.

The NBA season ended with the Lakers on top and it’s only fitting to start the season talking about the Lakers first.

The Lakers return the nucleus of their 2010 championship squad. They still have arguably the best player on the planet in Bryant, arguably the best big man in the NBA in Gasol, arguably the best defender in the NBA in Ron Artest and arguably the best sixth man in the league in Lamar Odom. And, oh by the way, they have the greatest coach in NBA history in the Zen Master. No argument there.

Add free agents Matt Barnes and Steve Blake to an already formidable roster and you have easily the best and most complete team in the Association. There should be no argument there.

All the buzz during offseason was how good or great the Miami Heat will be this season with the addition of LeBron James and Chris Bosh to go with Dwyane Wade. Even some Las Vegas oddsmakers are picking the Heat as the favorite to win it all this season. Last time I checked, two of those three guys haven’t won an NBA title and Wade won his four years ago. Adam Morrison has more championship rings than the much-hyped Heat trio!

Based on past history, championships are won inside and that’s the one big advantage the Lakers have over the Heat is their size, strength and length. Teams with the best interior offense and interior defense are the ones collecting rings. It’s a proven formula. Bill Russell was the anchor of the Celtics dynasty, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the anchor of the Showtime Lakers, Hakeem Olajuwon was the anchor of the Rockets, Tim Duncan was the anchor of the Spurs, and Shaquille O’Neal was the anchor of the Lakers’ three-peat.

As good as Kobe is, he has never won a championship without a dominant big man. He had Shaq earlier in the decade and now he has Gasol and Andrew Bynum (aka The Hollywood Hills) at the end of the decade.  Add Odom to the mix and Bryant is blessed with three freakishly good low-post players who can score, rebound and defend.

“It’s defense and rebounding. That’s what wins championships,” Bryant said on Monday during NBATV’s “Real Training Camp.”

Since acquiring Gasol, the Lakers have won more than 80% of their regular-season games and have been to the NBA Finals three consecutive seasons – winning the last two. His performance in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Celtics was legendary, and he could have easily been named the Finals MVP.

Gasol is going to have to carry the load for the first couple of months because his fellow big man, Bynum, will be sidelined recovering from knee surgery due to a torn meniscus. There were reports that Bynum was too casual about getting his knee fixed during the offseason, but Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said on Monday that the Lakers were not “blindsided” by the late surgery and the Lakers were well aware that Bynum could miss the first month of the season.

“The diagnosis, which was made back in the playoffs was correct,” Kupchak told NBATV on Monday. “When the surgery rolled around in mid-July, we anticipated that [the cartilage] would be taken out and that’s normally six or seven weeks in terms of a recovery. [The doctor] chose to sew it back in place, which is better for the player in the long run because he’s not missing cartilage; it’s better for his career, better for his life down the road. The downside of doing that, it takes a real long, long time to heal. So, something that we felt would be six weeks now goes to 10 to 12 weeks.”

Bynum is not the only Laker starter sitting out training camp. Bryant had offseason knee surgery on his right knee, and as a precaution he is easing his way back into form. When Bryant was asked what the time table is for his return, he said: “When [the knee] is ready, I’ll play.” Bryant said he rested all summer and there shouldn’t be any worries regarding his health. Translation: He’ll be starting on opening night.