Jalen Suggs couldn’t stop smiling after he left the court in his NBA summer league debut as a member of the Orlando Magic.

The former Gonzaga star put on a show for the Las Vegas crowd. He scored 24 points, grabbed nine rebounds, had two steals, and two blocks. He led his team to a 91-89 victory over the Golden State Warriors in overtime.

Suggs embraced the whole experience, even the tough ones. He enjoyed every single moment of his first live NBA game. Well, until the regular season begins. For now, it’s practice jerseys and teammates who may never see again.

“I’m just so happy to be here, to be honest,” Suggs told NBATV’s Dennis Scott.

“Tempo is a lot different,” said the 6-4, 205-pound guard, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. “Coming off the picks and going up and down the floor, the physicality. The bumps.”

Orlando was thrilled Suggs was still available when it made its selection at No. 5. Many draft experts predicted that Suggs would be taken fourth and wear the Toronto Raptors jersey. But the Raptors pulled off a draft-day shocker by taking Florida State forward Scottie Barnes. Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri is one of the most well respected and highly regarded NBA executives, but after what we’ve witnessed in the NBA summer league in Las Vegas, Ujiri and the Raptors may regret not selecting Suggs.

Barnes hasn’t been bad in the summer league. He’s just not Suggs.

Barnes is seen as a do-it-all forward who can play multiple positions. Positionless basketball has become fashionable these days. But not having a clear position also has its disadvantages. You still need a primary ballhandler or a 1, you still need a 5 man (aka center), and you still need wing players (2-3). The power forward (also referred to as 4) has evolved over the years. The 3 and 4 have become interchangeable, and some 4s are able to play the small-ball 5.

Suggs is clearly a 1 or 2. But what is Barnes?

At Florida State, Barnes came off the bench and was utilized as a Swiss Army knife. Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton subscribes to positionless basketball and Barnes falls in line with other positionless athletic wing players who came through Hamilton’s system: Patrick Williams, Jonathan Isaac, and Terance Mann. Williams, Isaac, and Mann are good role players but none of them are going to receive a max contract.

Sometimes NBA scouts and executives fall in love with trends. Barnes was a trendy pick because of his versatility. He could ultimately be a solid player for the Raptors. He’s shown he can fill up the stat sheet and can defend multiple positions. However, Barnes hasn’t flashed star quality. Suggs, on the other hand, has star quality. He already looks like a superstar capable of lifting an entire franchise and leading a huddle. Suggs looks like a natural leader, and his background as a top high school quarterback gives him a leg up over other rookies. He can lead.

The Magic have completely retooled their team in the last two years, moving off Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic and sending their massive contracts to the Denver Nuggets and Chicago Bulls, respectively. Orlando mutually parted ways with head coach Steve Clifford and handed over the reins to Jamahl Mosley.

Mosley, the 15th head coach in franchise history, comes to Orlando after spending the previous seven seasons as an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks. He is considered as a rising star in the Magic’s eyes and he’ll be tasked with helping the franchise rebuild. And Suggs appears to be the cornerstone of the rebuilding process along with second-year guards Cole Anthony and R.J. Hampton.

Anthony, the son of former NBA player Greg Anthony, was the Magic’s first-round pick in the 2020 draft and showed some flashes of brilliance in the second half of his rookie campaign. Anthony and Suggs have shown they already have strong chemistry, Mosley should at least try to pair them together in the starting lineup. Suggs thinks the combination of himself and Anthony will be “dangerous.”

“The moment we started going, the rhythm that we get the closeness. It’s gonna get dangerous,” Suggs said. “We’re gonna continue to work. We’re both workaholics. We both want to be great.”

Kawhi Leonard has a big decision this offseason. (Getty Images)

Kawhi Leonard is two wins away from leading the Toronto Raptors to its first ever NBA championship. That’s quite an achievement considering where he was a year ago.

With Kawhi having a memorable playoffs and Golden State all of a sudden looking vulnerable due to a myriad of injuries, online sportsbooks no longer have the Raptors as heavy underdogs.

Should the Raptors somehow pull off the biggest upset in the history of the NBA Finals, Kawhi will have a very interesting decision to make once the offseason begins. Should he stay in Toronto where he has become the most beloved athlete in Canada since Steve Nash? Or should he leave and become a free agent, free to sign with any team who can fit him under the cap?

The allure of free agency and playing for his hometown team – whether it’s the Lakers or Clippers – is truly enticing, especially since Leonard has been hinting at coming home to Los Angeles ever since he had a falling out with the Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs. Kawhi’s uncle, Dennis Robertson, has reportedly been eyeing L.A. for the last two years, and Toronto was basically a pit stop for the All-Star forward.

But the Kawhi flight to L.A. appears to be delayed. The engine is still running, but the schedule now says “still boarding.”

To say that Kawhi has already made up his mind on where he’ll land next season would be false. Just ask Charles Barkley. The outspoken basketball analyst came on “The Dan Patrick Show” and said reports that Kawhi and Kevin Durant have already made up their minds on where they’ll land next season is “fake.”

“I don’t think these guys know anything,” Barkley said. “I don’t think these players know where they’re going. You know how I know that? This is how full of crap all these reporters are. Because all these [players] are caught between a rock and a hard place. They can’t go anywhere by themselves. That’s the biggest problem all these guys got. No matter how great – whether you’re talking about Kawhi, KD, Kyrie [Irving], Jimmy Butler – none of these guys can make a move until something happens.”

Barkley continued: “If you go to a team by yourself, the team is not going to be any good. So that’s what’s going to be very interesting this summer. Who makes the first move. Who’s talking behind the scenes? Because you can’t go anywhere by yourself, or you’re going to be making a lot of money on a bad team.”

What Barkley said made perfect sense. Sometimes the grass is not greener on the other side. Kawhi may not be happy playing for Doc Rivers in L.A. He may not like playing with Patrick Beverley or Lou Williams. He may not enjoy playing in an arena where they use giant selfies to cover up Lakers championship banners.

Kawhi is in a great spot in Toronto, and the Raptors don’t need bring him to the Hamptons to make their best pitch.

He is the unquestioned leader of the team. He has the backing of an entire nation. He plays for a head coach in Nick Nurse who allows him to miss games and manages his workload. He has a very competent general manager in Masai Ujiri. He has a solid supporting cast led by two veterans – Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol – Kawhi respects and can lean on for support. He is playing with a rising star in Pascal Siakam. And last, but definitely not least, he can make an additional $40 million by re-signing with the Raptors.

There are no guarantees Kawhi will stay healthy for the rest of his career. At some point, he’ll have to think long and hard about his well being. Money can’t buy you love, but it can buy you a lot of homes. A super-max contract affords Kawhi the ability to purchase a home in L.A. and Toronto. He can have the best of both worlds. Live in L.A. Work in Toronto. Sounds like a good deal.

Kawhi Leonard was named NBA Finals MVP. (AP)

You’ve probably heard this before. The NBA playoffs are all about adjustments. A series can easily flip from one game to the next. That’s exactly what transpired in the 2019 NBA Finals between the defending champion Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors took Game 1 thanks mainly to Toronto’s 25-year-old forward Pascal Siakam, who had an out-of-body experience in his Finals debut with 32 points on 14-for-17 shooting from the field. The Warriors, who looked rusty and out of sync minus all-world forward Kevin Durant, took great notes from Game 1 and pulled out a few surprises for Game 2.

Then, the series swung to Toronto’s favor in games 3-4. The Raptors stole two straight games at Oracle Arena to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. By the time Kevin Durant briefly showed up in Game 5, the Raptors had control of the series and it was just a matter of time before the Warriors dynasty came crashing down.

Here are six observations from the six-game series:

VanVleet joins long list of unlikely Finals heroes

Raptors guard Fred VanVleet made a remarkable turnover after his son was born. Over his last nine playoff games, VanVleet connected on 53 percent of his 3-point shots and capped off his amazing postseason with 22 points in the series-clinching Game 6. VanVleet knocked down two crucial 3-pointers in the final moments of Game 6 that not only knocked out the Warriors but also shut down Oracle Arena for good. Toronto coach Nick Nurse used VanVleet strategically throughout the playoffs, especially against Golden State. He came off the bench in the first half, but started in the second half. His defense on Steph Curry was just as valuable as his production on offense. Kawhi Leonard may have been the Finals MVP but VanVleet will go down as one of the unsung heroes of The Finals, joining the likes of Robert Horry, Steve Kerr, Andre Iguodala, and Kenny Smith.

Cousins makes small contribution

Coach Steve Kerr made one big change to his starting lineup as he inserted DeMarcus Cousins for Jordan Bell. The move gave the Warriors a big body to lean on Toronto’s Marc Gasol on defense and gave the Dubs another playmaker on offense. Cousins scored just 11 points in 27 minutes, but grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out six assists. Cousins’ passing ability added another dimension to the Warriors’ motion offense. He fed Klay Thompson on a few backdoor plays and when the Raptors charged at him he was able to put the ball on the floor and create one-on-one plays. The Cousins move was the only time in the series where Kerr got the best of Toronto first-year coach Nick Nurse.

Siakam got away from Dubs

Kerr and the coaching staff saw how the quicker and more athletic Siakam gave the Warriors fits in the opener. Andre Iguodala, who was assigned to Kawhi Leonard in Game 1, was switched to Siakam in Game 2 and it took away one of the Raptors’ ace cards. By moving the more mobile Iguodala on Siakam, it took away the Raptors’ speed advantage and freed up Draymond to play his usual free safety on defense. The plan worked. Siakam came back down to Earth and was a non-factor in Game. He struggled getting by Iguodala and all those run-outs he had in the Game 1 were taken away with the exception of the one dunk he had in the first half. He finished with just 12 points and went 5-for-18 from the field. But the young Raptor adjusted his game in the latter part of the series by making quicker decisions. Siakam wasn’t able to duplicate his monster Game 1 performance but he came up with timely plays when it mattered most. Siakam’s floater with under a minute left in Game 6 over Draymond Green may have been the biggest basket in Raptors history.

It’s a trap (or not)

The Warriors adjusted the way they were defending Kawhi. After trapping Kawhi almost exclusively in Game 1, the Warriors didn’t trap Toronto’s All-Star forward as much in Game 2. The Warriors saw how easily Kawhi and Gasol handled the trap, so the adjustment was switching to a more conventional straight-up man sometimes and then blitz Kawhi sometimes. It was equivalent to a pitcher mixing up his pitches so batters couldn’t get a beat on them. And when did trap Kawhi, it came much harder and faster, and took away his sight line and passing lanes. Kawhi got his points (34 points) but he had to work for it, making 8-of-20 shots.

Warriors couldn’t solve Raptors’ pick-and-roll plan

Nurse kept the Warriors off balance all series long, using the high pick-and-roll to expose the backline of the Warriors. Nurse anticipated that the Warriors would double team Kawhi whenever he got the ball at the top. So, to counter the trap and exploit the absence of Kevin Durant, he used Kyle Lowry and VanVleet to initiate the offense off high ball screens. Lowry carved up the Warriors with pick-and-roll action in Game 4, finding wide open cutters down the middle of the paint. Without a shot blocker protecting the rim, Serge Ibaka and Pascal Siakam had free paths to the basket. When Lowry and VanVleet were matched up with Warriors bigs like DeMarcus Cousins and Kevon Looney, they went to work. Lowry put on an absolute clinic on how to run pick-and-roll in Game 4. He scored just 10 points in the game, but completely dominated the fourth quarter with his playmaking ability.

Raptors ‘janky’ defense worked

You have to give a lot of credit to Nurse for making some really bold moves in the playoffs. He drew up a 1-2-2 zone against the Bucks to slow down Giannis Antetoukounmpo. And it worked. The Raptors went on to win the series 4-2 after dropping the first two games. He then drew up a box-and-1 defense in The Finals to exploit the Warriors’ lack of depth once the injuries started piling up. The box-and-1 was designed to keep Steph Curry in check. And it worked. The defense that Curry referred to as “janky” disrupted the Warriors’ flow on offense and exposed their weaker shooters like Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Quinn Cook, Alfonzo McKinnie. Nurse had VanVleet shadow Curry as soon as the ball is inbounded and played a matchup zone behind it with four guys covering each corner of the free throw line. Nurse coached The Finals like he was playing with house money. Once he got on a roll he kept winning and winning until the Warriors ran out of chips.

Kawhi Leonard’s Raptors and Kyrie Irving’s Celtics will compete for top spot in the East. (AP)

When LeBron James left The Land and took his talents to Hollywood to play with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Eastern Conference finds itself in virgin territory. Teams from the East are finally free from the chokehold King James has put on the conference the last eight years.

The floodgates are wide open and the team is breathing the biggest sigh of relief has to be the Toronto Raptors. The Raps have had their hearts broken by LeBron in each of the last three postseasons. And last season was arguably the most painful of them all as LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers ended the Raptors’ historic season – a year in which they owned the East’s best record at 59-23 – with an embarrassing 4-0 sweep.

Now that The King has moved West, there will be a new king of the East and the West just got even tougher – unless you’re the Golden State Warriors.

OneManFastBreak.net predicts the eight playoff teams in the East for the 2018-19 season.

Eastern Conference

1-Toronto Raptors – General manager Masai Ujiri made a couple of big moves this offseason. First, he fired the reigning Coach of Year Dwane Casey and elevated assistant Nick Nurse to head coach. The second big move Ujiri made was trading All-Star DeMar DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs for All-Star forward and former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard. The move was definitely an upgrade as Leonard brings toughest to a Raptors team that at times plays a bit soft. The Kawhi addition should only make a 59-win team only better. The Raptors could end up with the best regular-season record, but it doesn’t mean they will represent the East in the NBA Finals because the team right below might be more battle tested. Prediction: 60-22

2-Boston Celtics – Speaking of that battle-tested team …. Brad Stevens showed why he’s the best coach in the NBA by taking a patchwork Celtics roster to the conference finals and got within one win of reaching the NBA Finals despite losing Gordon Hayward minutes into the season and having Kyrie Irving for only 60 games. Stevens will have his roster intact for this season, with another year under the belts of young studs Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Boston has one of the best benches in the league, a scrappy unit that includes Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, Aron Baynes, and Marcus Morris. Prediction: 58-24

3-Philadelphia 76ers – The Sixers will go as far as Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will take them. The duo got the young Sixers to the conference semifinals before getting schooled by the Celtics. Embiid is predicting an MVP season, while Simmons looks to build off his Rookie of the Year season. The big question for Philly is solving the Markelle Fultz puzzle. His well-chronicled shooting woes aside, the 2017 No. 1 overall pick seems like a bad fit in Philly. He is struggling to find his shot within the offense and his lack of outside shooting restricts what the Sixers can do when he’s on the court with Simmons and Embiid. Prediction: 55-27

4-Milwaukee Bucks – New head coach Mike Budenholzer’s first order of business is to find second and third option to take some pressure off his superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who made second team All-NBA last year. If the Bucks can get more production from Eric Bledsoe and Khris Middleton, the Bucks could be in the hunt for one of the top four spots in the conference. Prediction: 49-33

5-Indiana Pacers – The Pacers grew a ton after their epic seven-game playoff series against LeBron’s Cavs. Victor Olapido is an emerging star and coach Nate McMillan has some nice supporting pieces to work with in Myles Turner, Bojan Bogdanovic, Darren Collison and Domantas Sabonis. The acquisition of Tyreke Evans didn’t make headlines offseason, but it’s a subtle but smart move that could pay off in the long run. Prediction: 48-34

6-Detroit Pistons – A full training camp and preseason should help Blake Griffin get more comfortable in Detroit. If Griffin can return to his all-star form, he and center Andre Drummond form arguably the best center-power forward tandem in the East. Dwane Casey takes over a squad that underachieved under Stan Van Gundy. Van Gundy’s heavy handed approach didn’t work, so the Pistons are hoping Casey can connect better with players, especially Griffin and Reggie Jackson. Prediction: 46-36

7-Miami Heat – The Heat are good enough to make the playoffs, but not enough to make a major dent in the East. They have a borderline star in Goran Dragic, but he’s not good enough to carry the team on his back. For the Heat to be elite, center Hassan Whiteside has to step up and be the dominant force he was pegged to be when the team signed him to a $98 million deal. Prediction: 42-40

8-Charlotte Hornets – This is a big year for point guard Kemba Walker. The Hornets have not locked him up to a long-term deal, waiting to see if he’s worth the money. Walker will be motivated to show Michael Jordan and the Hornets brass that he is a franchise player and should get a max deal. Prediction: 41-41

Last two teams out: Washington Wizards, New Jersey Nets.

Carmelo Anthony’s Knicks will be challenged by Deron Williams’ Nets for top spot in the Atlantic Division. (GETTY IMAGES)

Before Mikhail Prokhorov bought the Nets, New York was all about the Knicks.

The Knicks play in the most famous arena in the world, Madison Square Garden, while for years the Nets played their home games at the Izod Center. Even the name sounds cheap. Who buys Izod?

The Knicks have a rich hoops history, going back to the days of Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley, Willis Reed, and Earl Monroe. The Nets, on the other hand, had Michael Ray Richardson and Jayson Williams. Richardson battled drug addiction for much of his life, while Williams spent a year and a half in prison following the manslaughter charges that were levied against him following the accidental shooting of a limousine driver on his property in 2002.

Celebrities such as Spike Lee, Woody Allen, Ben and Jerry Stiller, and Whoopi Goldberg are season-ticket holders and die-hard Knicks fans. Kim Kardashian was spotted sitting courtside at a Nets game in 2010, but her stint as a “Nets fan” was shorter than her marriage to Kris Humphries.

Since taking over as the majority owner, Prokhorov moved the Nets to Brooklyn, built a state-of-the-art arena, spent millions bringing in high-priced free agents such as Joe Johnson, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce, and hired Jason Kidd as head coach.

Entering the 2013-14 season, the Nets are the only NBA team well over the salary cap threshold, topping the list with a whopping estimated team salary of $101 million. The Knicks, once perennial salary cap kings, are now fifth in the league at $80 million.

The Nets still have a ways to go before New York fans completely embrace them, but Prokhorov has such deep pockets he can actually buy fans.

OneManFastBreak.net examines the teams in the Atlantic Division and where they’ll finish:

1-NEW YORK KNICKS

The Nets may be armed with more firepower and star power with the addition of Garnett and Pierce, but the Knicks still own the best player in the division, Carmelo Anthony. Melo enjoyed the best season of his 10-year career in 2012-13, leading the league in scoring (28.7),  and received one first-place vote in the MVP selection process to prevent LeBron James from being a unanimous choice. Getting Melo shots wasn’t the problem last year. Getting Amare Stoudemire shots was a big problem. Anthony prefers isolation plays, while Stoudemire prefers high screen-and-rolls. Stoudemire’s scoring average has dipped in each of the last two years because of injuries and circumstance. And his role will take an even greater hit this season with the acquisition of forwards Andrea Bargnani and Ron Artest. Head coach Mike Woodson likes to employ small ball, which means Anthony at power forward, Tyson Chandler at center, Iman Shumpert at small forward, Raymond Felton at point, and J.R. Smith at shooting guard. That doesn’t leave a lot of minutes for Stoudemire, who is scheduled to make $21 million this season.

2-BROOKLYN NETS

Jason Kidd was hired for two things: 1) provide a respected voice in the locker room, and 2) be a mentor to Deron Williams. Kidd may not have any coaching experience but he knows the point guard position better than most NBA coaches. Prokhorov and general manager Billy King received some heat for hiring Kidd. But you don’t need to go through the gamut to be a successful coach. Mark Jackson proved you can go from broadcaster to coach without much practice. Kidd could be a sounding board for Williams, who has been somewhat of a disappointment since signing with the Nets in 2010. Coaching is all about managing egos and maximizing a player’s potential. Kidd should be able to do both well. Garnett has yet to play a single game wearing Nets colors but he has already embedded himself as the voice of the team. Kidd suggested that Garnett should take a few nights off, especially on the back end of a back-to-back. But didn’t sit well with KG. The 37-year-old Garnett told USA Today that he has “earned the right to have an opinion on something,” and from a chemistry standpoint he thinks it’s important for him “to be out there with everybody.” Sounds like Kidd will be taking orders from KG.

3-TORONTO RAPTORS

The Raptors made a huge splash by luring NBA Executive of the Year Masai Ujiri away from the Denver Nuggets. Ujiri was the mastermind behind the rebuilding of the Nuggets after the Carmelo Anthony trade. The Raptors have some very talented pieces in the fold: Rudy Gay, DeMar DeRozan, and Kyle Lowry. Gay is a borderline All-Star who is a capable 20-point scorer. He and DeRozan combined to average 36 points per game in 2012-13 and seemed to work well together. After releasing longtime point man Jose Calderon, Lowry becomes the fulltime point guard for head coach Dwane Casey. The Raptors are absolutely giddy about the progress of 21-year-old Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas. The 7-footer dominated the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging nearly 19 points and 10 rebounds a game en route to being named the tournament MVP.

4-BOSTON CELTICS

It’s say to Garnett, Pierce, Ray Allen, and Doc Rivers are not walking through the TD Garden doors anytime soon. Allen won a championship in Miami, Rivers takes over a young Clippers squad led by Chris Paul, and KG and Pierce are now in Brooklyn. Rajon Rondo is the lone holdover from the 2008 championship team, but he’s coming off a devastating ACL injury. This could be a long year for first-year coach Brad Stevens, who inherits a roster full of unproven commodities. Stevens squeezed every once of talent from his teams at Butler University, but college coaches historically have done poorly transitioning to the NBA. Celtics boss Danny Ainge may not admit it but the franchise is in full tank mode to try to pick up enough ping-pong balls in the 2014 draft. Rookie Kelly Olynyk showed off a nice face-up game and outside shooting touch during the Orlando summer league.

5-PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

The Sixers are another team in full rebuild mode. Philly waited until August before hiring Brett Brown. The 52-year-old coach was part of three NBA title teams with San Antonio as an assistant and won another with the Spurs when he served in the basketball operations department in 1999. Brown has the unenviable task of fixing a team gutted by defections. The Andrew Bynum gamble was a complete disaster, and it could take a couple of years before the Sixers could recover from that mistake. New general manager Eddie Hinkie wanted to wash his hands of the Bynum debacle by starting fresh. Philly traded young star Jrue Holiday on draft night and picked up two young athletes in Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams. Noel is coming off ACL surgery, but claims his knee is progressing well and hopes to return by December. Carter-Williams is a 6-6 point guard who showed flashes of brilliance in the Orlando Summer League, but his jump shot needs some tweaking.

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

In an obvious salary dump, the Memphis Grizzlies trades leading scorer Rudy Gay. (GETTY IMAGES)

Rudy Gay, the overpaid and underperforming small forward, is on his way to Toronto in the latest and most dramatic move in the Memphis Grizzlies’ money-motivated makeover.

The Grizzlies agreed to trade their star swingman to the Raptors on Wednesday, parting with the leading scorer on a team that has aspirations of making a run in the powerful Western Conference.

The Raptors gave up point guard Jose Calderon and forward Ed Davis in the deal that also included Grizzlies backup center Hamed Haddadi, and Memphis then shipped Calderon to Detroit for Austin Daye and Tayshaun Prince. Memphis general manager Chris Wallace thanked both Gay and Haddaddi for their time with the Grizzlies.

Gay, averaging 17.2 points and 5.9 rebounds, signed a five-year, $82 million maximum contract in July 2010 with Memphis. The 6-foot-8 small forward is due $16.5 million this season with $37 million more over the next two years. That’s a big number for new owner Robert Pera, who took over the franchise last November and has quickly started addressing the team’s salary situation.

Just over a week ago, the Grizzlies sent valuable reserve Marreese Speights and two other players to Cleveland in a move that cleared $6.4 million in salary and avoided a $4 million luxury tax hit this season. Team officials said that move put the Grizzlies in position not to have to make a move this season.

Memphis coach Lionel Hollins had been lobbying to keep his five starters together the rest of this season, but he apparently lost that fight. It’s a significant move for a team that was fourth in the Western Conference and three games behind the third-place Clippers.

”Wow,” Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley tweeted.

Trading away Gay also eases a luxury tax hit due next season, while concentrating the team around center Marc Gasol and All-Star forward Zach Randolph. The Grizzlies had their best playoff run in 2011 when they knocked off then-No. 1 seed San Antonio before losing to Oklahoma City in seven games in the Western semifinals – all with Gay on the bench after needing season-ending shoulder surgery.

”Wow that was 1 crazy trade today,” Oklahoma City center Kendrick Perkins tweeted. ”Are you serious Rudy Gay is right there under KD, Lebron, Kobe, and Melo. (hashtag)badtrade.”

They do run the risk of upsetting the chemistry on a tight-knit group, even if there were some questions of how Gay’s scoring fit in with the ball-dominant frontcourt of Gasol and Randolph.

But there may be more deals like this one coming in the new NBA economy.

The collective bargaining agreement negotiated after last year’s lockout makes the penalties for exceeding the salary cap far more punitive, and the system begins in earnest next season. Playing in a smaller market, the Grizzlies don’t have the extra revenue from lavish television contracts like teams in Los Angeles or New York, which makes it that much more difficult to go over the cap. But even teams such as the Lakers and Bulls will likely have to be more responsible with their spending under the new deal, where repeat offenders are taxed at rates that multiply with each consecutive year they go over the cap.

The first domino fell before the season, when Oklahoma City sent James Harden to Houston instead of signing him to a big-money extension, and more are sure to follow.

All told, the Grizzlies shaved nearly $40 million over the next three years after the two trades.

They’ll get a hard-nosed defender in return in Prince, the 32-year-old forward who was drafted by the Pistons in the first round in 2002. He is averaging 11.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season.

Story from The Associated Press.

Steve Nash and the Lakers can’t seem to get going this season. (GETTY IMAGES)

Steve Nash wanted to win a championship ring. That’s the only thing left on his basketball resume. He’s won MVPs, he’s been an All-Star, and he recently became the fifth player in league history to reach the 10,000 assist mark.

During the past offseason, Nash had three options: 1) stay in Phoenix and head into retirement quietly; 2) move to Toronto and play for his beloved country; 3) move to Los Angeles and join forces with Kobe Bryant to play for a championship.

Or so he thought.

Nash considered a move north of the border last summer but eventually agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with the Lakers, deciding to play for a team that appeared primed for a run at a title. Los Angeles is also a short flight away from Phoenix — where his three children live — and that helped sealed the deal.

Hollywood’s gain was Toronto’s loss.

“It was definitely a huge option for me especially if the Lakers situation didn’t happen,” Nash told the media Sunday after his Lakers fell to the Raptors, 108-103, dropping the team six games below .500. “The Lakers situation, basketball-wise, I think it was a good option … but most importantly, to be close to my kids and to be able to see them as much I have this year has been priceless.”

Canada’s best-known basketball export returning to his home country would have been a huge catch for Toronto. Adding a two-time league MVP would have given the Raptors a new face of the franchise and a boost at the box office. Nash is also the general manager of the men’s national team for Canada Basketball.

At 38, Nash is getting on in years but he’s in tremendous shape and is showing no signs of slowing down. But choosing L.A. over Toronto may have been a mistake. Nash should have signed with the Raptors. Closing out his playing days on this country’s lone NBA team would have been a nice way to cap an incredible career.

“It would have been great to come play here,” Nash said. “But for me, I get to see my kids all the time and I wouldn’t have got to do that if I had come to Toronto. So my quality of life has greatly improved by being close to my kids.”

Nash and Lakers have a lot of work to do this season. The Lakers are struggling under Mike D’Antoni and will need a big surge soon just to make it in the playoffs. The Lakers are basically right where the Raptors are in terms of overall record and standing. Nash is finding out that the bright lights in Hollywood can be extremely hot and every loss is considered catastrophic. The Raptors are familiar to losing, so the pressure to win doesn’t exist.

The Lakers have had three different head coaches this season. Injuries have been a problem. The roster is loaded with superstars like Nash, Bryant, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard but that hasn’t led to victories.

“I think that’s one of the things that I maybe didn’t expect is that this would be the most challenging year of my career in many ways,” Nash said. “But that’s great. I’m always up for a challenge. I think it keeps you engaged and it keeps you extremely motivated.

“Just fighting every day to try to turn this thing around.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Philadelphia 76ers point guard Jrue Holiday drives past Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce. (GETTY IMAGES)

I love the ’80s! It was a decade that introduced us to cable TV, Don Johnson’s white-pants-with-no-socks look, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” jackets, and Madonna’s “Like a virgin” anthem. It was also a time when the Atlantic Division was the gold standard of the NBA.

The Atlantic featured Hall-of-Famers such as Larry Bird (Boston Celtics), Kevin McHale (Celtics), Dennis Johnson (Celtics), Julius Erving (Philadelphia 76ers), Moses Malone (76ers), and Patrick Ewing (New York Knicks). Another former New York icon, the great Bernard King, was featured prominently during the decade. And by the way, it is absolutely shameful he’s not in the Hall of Fame.

Fast forward to 2012 and the division — with a few new wrinkles here and there — is back to being the most hotly contested division in the Association, and there could very well be four teams from the Atlantic that make the playoffs.

The Celtics are still a dominant team, but they now have company. The Knicks have had a revival since the arrival of Carmelo Anthony. The Nets — who have ditched the Meadowlands Arena swamp for the swanky Barclays Center in Brooklyn — may have the best backcourt in the NBA in Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. The 76ers got a huge boost when they acquired former Lakers center Andrew Bynum, and even the Toronto Raptors are feeling good heading into season.

Boston has owned the Atlantic since Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined forces with Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo in 2007. But all good things must come to an end at some point, and this could be the year the Celtics are knocked off their top perch.

OneManFastBreak.net predicts the order of finish in the Atlantic Division:

1-PHILADELPHIA 76ERS — Doug Collins took a young Philly squad last season and got them into the conference semifinals, losing to eventual NBA champion Miami. The Sixers revamped their squad during the offseason, sending Andre Iguodala to Denver and acquiring arguably the best center in the league in Bynum, whose mere presence changes the entire dynamic of the division. Philly fans will love Bynum from Day 1, and he’ll be surrounded by young talents such as Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, and Thaddeus Young. With Iguodala gone, Holiday now holds the key to the offense and he’ll have free reign to pull all the strings.

2-BOSTON CELTICS — They may be old and grumpy but the Celtics are still a serious contender in the Eastern Conference. Defense remains Boston’s calling card, and the team’s grind-it-out mentality will keep Gang Green in the playoff hunt. The Celtics got a big boost during the offseason when Jeff Green was medically cleared to play, and he has been superb during the preseason. Jason Terry may not have Ray Allen’s career resume, but the former Dallas Maverick is a very capable scorer and one of the best sixth men in the league.

3-BROOKLYN NETS — Nets billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov made sure he wasn’t moving to Brooklyn without a headliner or two. He inked Williams to a long-term contract and then paid big money to bring in All-Star guard Joe Johnson. The key to the season hinges on the health of center Brook Lopez, who missed 61 games last year. If Lopez can regain his 2010-11 form when he averaged 20 points, the Nets will not only challenge for the division title but they will challenge for one of the top four spots in the East.

4-NEW YORK KNICKS — It is now or never for the Carmelo Anthony-Amare Stoudemire partnership. Stoudemire averaged his worst statistical season since 2005-06 when he had microfracture surgery. Just when Stoudemire was rounding into regular season shape, he had another setback in the preseason when he was diagnosed with a ruptured cyst in his left knee. This can be seen as a positive as ‘Melo can dominate the ball and won’t have to share the floor with Amare for a few weeks. But when Stoudemire returns, head coach Mike Woodson must find a way to keep both stars on the same page.

5-TORONTO RAPTORS — The Raptors may not be a playoff team, but the needle is pointing in the right direction. Over the years the Raptors have been devastated by defections, as Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Chris Bosh all left Canada for greener pastures in the U.S. But the Raptors keep chugging along, and they will unveil their lastest European talent in 20-year-old Lithuanian star Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas is a classic back-to-the-basket, low-post center and should complement stretch forward Andrea Bargnani.

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

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.

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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.