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Pretty much any fan of the Los Angeles Lakers will tell you that the last three seasons haven’t been very fun, with the 2012-13 season falling much closer to painful than joyful on the experience scale.

“We were stacked and it was an epic failure,” said Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist and Lakers super fan, Flea, in a recent podcast with LandOLakers.com. “For me, it was the most disappointing Lakers season of all time and not even close to any other season.”

From the embarrassing ending to Phil Jackson’s final campaign, to the uninspiring Mike Brown era (L.A. topped 100 points just 24 times in the 71 regular-season games he coached), to the utter disaster of last season, the return on investment of time, money and emotion spent by Lakers fans has not resulted in any sort of payoff.

I know what that life’s all about, having grown up as a Philadelphia sports fan. Losing and frustration and disappointment come with the territory.

If I went into every season with a championship-or-bust mentality as a fan, I would have given up watching sports a long time ago and probably would be really into cooking shows and have some random additional skill, like being able to play the piano.

But, I kept watching and I keep watching. And even though there’s been only one Philadelphia championship in my lifetime (the 2008 Phillies) and I have that Jerry West in me where I hate to lose more than I love to win, I have conditioned myself to still be able to find enjoyment as a fan in a season, even if there is no ring at the end.

Now, the Lakers have 16 championships in their history, compared to just five for the three major pro sports teams in Philly (three for the 76ers, two for the Phillies and zero Super Bowl wins for the Eagles … I’m not an ice hockey guy). So that fact alone might naturally lower my expectations. But is being a Lakers fan all about rooting for rings and nothing else?

What if those expectations were removed? What if you forgot about the history for a second and, instead of focusing solely on the team’s quest for No. 17 or Kobe Bryant’s fight for No. 6, you took in each game for what it is? What if a loss in January wasn’t a referendum on how the team could potentially perform in June, but rather something the team could learn from in February?

Take my Eagles, for instance. Have you seen them under Chip Kelly? I came into this season thinking that an 8-8 record would be pretty much their ceiling after a dreadful 4-12 mark last season. Two weeks into it and they’re 1-1, so that’s right in step with my instincts. But there is nothing mediocre or ho-hum about how they got to 1-1. If I wanted to view everything in the specter of their Super Bowl chances, then I could focus on how they almost let a 26-point lead disappear against Washington and how they were 7.5-point favorites at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 2 and lost to San Diego.

But if I forget about Lombardi for a second, I can appreciate what’s going on here. Back-to-back 30-point games? Last season, the Eagles scored 30 or more in just one game all season -- a 38-33 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. LeSean McCoy putting up 184 running yards in Week 1, Michael Vick collecting 428 passing yards in Week 2 and DeSean Jackson hauling in 297 receiving yards over two games? This is silly stuff. And wildly entertaining. And all I could ask for as a fan.

So, how about it, Lakers fans? What if Mike D’Antoni gets these guys to reach the 110-115 points per game that he promised at his introductory news conference? What if there is chemistry and growth and a few upsets along the way -- both from the Lakers beating a team or two that are better than them and falling to a few inferior opponents?

The knee-jerk reaction from some of you I’m sure will be, “Well, we had ‘Showtime’ already AND we won.” And you’d be right on both counts. But even though this season’s Lakers will be wearing the same purple and gold uniforms as those teams from the 1980s, everything else has changed in the NBA they’ll be competing in. You can still honor the past without making it an unrealistic standard you hold the present to. Plus, it’s all about context. Comparing this aging Bryant/Steve Nash/Pau Gasol-led team to Magic Johnson/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/James Worthy in their prime isn’t a fair fight. But comparing it to the squad that had an injured, unhappy Dwight Howard on it last season? Or to the team that slogged up and down the court under Brown? It would have to be better than that, right?

I called up Paul Coro, who covers the Phoenix Suns for the Arizona Republic and got on the beat one month after D’Antoni got the job as head coach of the Suns. How did Phoenix fans accept the 7 Seconds or Less era?

“When he took over the team, [there] was kind of free rein because there wasn’t any expectations,” Coro said. “Everything about it was great. They were winning beyond anybody’s imagination. They were doing it in a way that was innovative and thoroughly entertaining. It just blew people away how much fun it was. Immediately, they had big crowds -- sellouts early in the season. I think they ended up starting a sellout streak that carried on for a few years. It was nothing for them to be up in the 110-120 [point range].”

Albeit the Suns have never won it all, having lost to the Chicago Bulls in the 1993 Finals and to the Boston Celtics in 1976, so you could say that they never knew what it was like to root for a championship team like L.A. The point is, though, that those D'Antoni Suns teams were worth it for the fans. They were memorable. They were thrilling. They were fun.

A healthy Bryant, Nash and Gasol, with additional playmaking from guys like Nick Young, Jordan Farmar, Wes Johnson and Steve Blake, plus Jordan Hill and Chris Kaman playing big down low and Jodie Meeks and Ryan Kelly or Shawne Williams spreading the floor outside can be fun, too.

I'm excited about watching the next Eagles game. Do I think this will be the best season ever for the Birds? Nope. But they could surprise me. It's a nice feeling.

Wouldn't it be nice to feel that way about the Lakers again?

Michael Beasley was waived by the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, putting the talented, yet troubled, 6-10, 235-pound former No. 2 pick on the market.

With the Los Angeles Lakers lacking a proven small forward on their roster after using the amnesty clause on Metta World Peace, it's only natural to wonder if Beasley might be a good fit in purple and gold.

Here are four questions to consider before that can happen:

1. What is the waiver process for Beasley?

Beasley was owed $6 million by Phoenix in 2013-14 and $6.25 million in 2014-15, but only $3 million of his '14-15 deal was guaranteed. Beasley agreed to a $7 million buyout with the Suns, according to Sports 620 KTAR in Phoenix. If any team out there chooses to claim the remaining $7 million on his contract, they'll retain Beasley's rights. That's unlikely to happen.

The way this usually works is a player clears the 48-hour waiver process and then the bids come in, with teams free to use their mid-level, mini mid-level or biannual exception to try to entice Beasley to come on board. The Lakers do not have any of those exceptions available to them. They used their entire mini mid-level exception on Chris Kaman and do not qualify for the biannual exception because of their luxury tax situation, so all they could offer Beasley is a veteran's minimum deal worth approximately $1 million.

There is a chance that a team like Philadelphia, which has not yet met the minimum salary requirement for the 2013-14 season could take on his full salary to meet that basement level, but Philly could just wait to sign other free agents to account for the approximately $10 million in salary it has to acquire without bringing in someone like Beasley with his off-court background into its young, impressionable locker room.

2. Will the Lakers be interested in Beasley?

As one source familiar with the Lakers thinking said, "There's a reason why Phoenix cut him." Even though Beasley is just 24 years old and has career averages of 14.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in just 26.4 minutes per game, it was his arrest on suspicion of marijuana possession in August that seemed to be what ultimately pushed Phoenix to go in another direction.

However, Beasley had off-court issues before this summer and that didn't stop the Lakers from pushing hard to get him in the 2011-12 season. Twice that season, the Lakers thought it had deals in place to acquire the lefty forward from Minnesota, and twice those deals fell through, the second time just seven minutes removed from the trade deadline.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has shown in recent seasons that once a player catches his interest, that impression doesn't fade easily. Kupchak said that the Lakers had designs on acquiring Steve Blake for years stemming from an great pre-draft workout with the team in 2003. They finally got Blake in 2011. The same goes for Nick Young. Kupchak came close to getting Young for years before having it all come together this summer.

3. Should the Lakers want Beasley?

In a word, yes. Even though the team made some savvy pick-ups with potential in Young, Wes Johnson and Elias Harris to try to fill the void at small forward left by World Peace, none of them are proven players at that position. And yes, Kobe Bryant is just about as good at playing the three as he is at the two at this stage of his career with all the post moves he's developed, but Bryant's health for this season is still very much in question.

Getting Beasley at the minimum for 2013-14 would not only allow the team to keep the financial flexibility for next summer that it so covets, but it would give Mike D'Antoni another offensive weapon to work with. This is a guy who has a career high of 42 points, a guy who once put up 22 points and 15 rebounds in a playoff game, a guy who has a 34.5 percent career mark from 3, but has shot 36.6 percent or better from deep in three out of his five career seasons.

Don't discount the appeal of Beasley's ability to shoot it, either. The Lakers drafted Ryan Kelly in the second round primarily for his ability to stretch the floor with his long-range accuracy, but the team has been discouraged by the rookie's progress during the summer, according to multiple league sources. The Lakers doubt that Kelly, who missed summer league while recovering from multiple foot procedures, will be ready for the start of training camp.

Beasley could fill out a couple check marks of what the Lakers are looking for.

4. Should Beasley want the Lakers?

This answer isn't as straight forward. While Beasley has already made approximately $25.9 million in his time in the NBA, according to BasketballReference.com, he did have to agree to give up a guaranteed $2 million over two years in the Phoenix buyout. He could make that money back and then some by signing with a team that offers him the mini mid-level exception of $3.2 million. If he signs with the Lakers for the minimum, he loses $1 million. That might seem insignificant when you've already made $26 million, but $1 million is $1 million, especially for a player whose future in the league is far from certain.

So, financially maybe the Lakers aren't the best fit for Beasley.

However, style of play wise, L.A. could be perfect for him. Not only are D'Antoni's open-court sets suited for his game, but Beasley had his best season as a professional while coached by Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis when he was the head coach in Minnesota in 2010-11.

Not only that, but the Lakers have had success in recent seasons in salvaging guys' careers who were rich in talent, but poor in opportunity (think Shannon Brown, Trevor Ariza, Jordan Hill, Earl Clark).

And the opportunity should be plentiful in L.A. at small forward.

Yes, the Los Angeles Lakers might have 23 Pacific Division titles since the NBA created the league classification at the start of the 1970-71 season. And true, the Los Angeles Clippers have only one, coming last season. However, in the “What have you done for me lately?” sports world we live in, the Lakers’ “Showtime” history won’t give them a leg up on the lads from Lob City this year.

The story of the five-team Pacific Division for 2013-14 is one of the haves (Clippers and Golden State Warriors picked to finish second and sixth, respectively, in ESPN.com’s Summer Forecast of the Western Conference), the have-nots (the Sacramento Kings and the Phoenix Suns were picked 14th and 15th in the West in the same survey) and the Lakers, who fall somewhere in between.

With the Clippers coming off the most successful regular season in franchise history and adding Doc Rivers to the fold, the boys in red, white and blue are primed to back up their first Pacific Division title with another one, continuing the trend over the past decade of teams getting hot in the division and staying that way (the Lakers won five straight division titles from 2007-2012 and the Suns won three straight before that from 2004-07).

ESPNLosAngeles.com broke down each of five teams’ prospects heading into this season, including a take from both an anonymous Western Conference scout for the teams’ on-court plans and from an anonymous Western Conference front-office executive looking at the direction each franchise is headed.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS
2012-13 record: 45-37
If absorbing Dwight Howard’s departure wasn’t enough for the Lakers to digest, the best three players remaining on the roster -- Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol -- all enter the new season with serious health questions. How will Bryant respond to Achilles surgery as a 35-year-old? Will Nash, at 39, be able to keep his body on the floor through the rigors of an 82-game season? Is there anything left in those 33-year-old knees belonging to Gasol? And is Mike D'Antoni the right man to try to keep it all together? Still, the Lakers trudged ahead without Howard, making a couple of high-talent, low-budget pickups while maintaining their coveted cap space for the summer of 2014.

Players Added
Rookies: Ryan Kelly, Elias Harris (undrafted free agent)
Free Agents: Jordan Farmar, Wesley Johnson, Chris Kaman, Robert Sacre (re-signed), Nick Young

Players Lost
Free Agents: Earl Clark, Dwight Howard, Antawn Jamison
Waived: Metta World Peace (amnesty)

Scout’s take:

-- "They’re going to be back playing more of Mike D’Antoni’s style, which is a lot of early offense, playing the pick-and-roll, playing to Steve Nash’s strengths. You got a guy in Jordan Farmar who is going to be able to play in that style. He’s quick, he’s athletic, he can play point guard. Nick Young is an athlete, a guy that can get up and down the court and can really score coming off the bench. Wes Johnson is a guy who can space the floor for them, hopefully."

-- "I don’t expect them to be a strong defensive team. They’ve got a lot of older, veteran guys. I just don’t know that that’s the strength of Coach D’Antoni. I think he’s a tremendous offensive coach and I know his philosophy is, ‘Well, if we outscore the opposing team then we’ve played good enough defense.’ He’s basically said that in the past."

-- "I do expect the Lakers to be competitive again. I think they’re a playoff-caliber team. I don’t know if they’re going to be one of the top-tier teams in the West."

-- "I do expect Kobe to be back playing at a high level. I know there’s uncertainty with the Achilles' heel. Just with his talent and his drive, I expect him to be back at a high level. I would almost worry about him pushing it too far, too fast. I think they’re going to try to force him to come back kind of slow. Don’t try to take on the world right away.

"Kobe, to me, is going to thrive off of his smarts and his experiences. He’s always been one of those guys that’s just been like a sponge. I think that’s what separates him from the average player or even a very good player. I think this is just another challenge for him. He’s like [Michael] Jordan in that way where he’ll almost make up motivation, make up something to help get him motivated.

"I would not be surprised for him to be back at an All-Star level. I don’t know if it’s going to be next season, it could be, but I could definitely see him being back as an All-Star because that’s just in his DNA."

Exec’s take:

-- “It’s kind of a year where I’m sure they don’t know what’s going to happen and the rest of the league doesn’t either. A big part of it is where is Kobe going to be at? If there’s a guy you don’t want to doubt, it’s him. If he’s anywhere near 100 percent, you can’t count those guys out to be in the playoff hunt at the very least."

-- "I think they’re trying to get through with a team that can probably be competitive this year and see where they’re at health-wise, and then next year they obviously got a ton of flexibility to kind of re-mold that franchise.

-- "Dwight being gone, it hurts you from a talent standpoint, but it might help from a chemistry standpoint -- just from the outside looking in. If you have Nash and Pau both healthy and Kobe is anywhere near 100 percent, I think they’ll see more rhythm with that offense."

-- "I think Nick Young will be a good addition off the bench for them, if they bring him off the bench, give them some punch."

-- "I don’t know if they have the depth to contend for a top five or six seed in the West, and if Kobe is not anywhere near 100 percent, I think it could be a challenging year for them."

-- "They'll see where they're at. At this point I don’t think they want to think about that possibility [of stripping down the team] right now. I don’t think that’s how they think. Their aspirations are a lot higher than most teams every year, and I’m sure they want to see where Kobe’s at come Jan. 1 and see where the team’s at. If they get to the point where it’s the trade deadline and they can tell their team’s not going anywhere, I’m sure they’ll at least consider something with Pau or any other pieces they might be able to move for a longer-term piece."

-- "I think all of this comes back to where Kobe’s at -- healthwise, mentally -- because I think they’re going to factor in how he views what’s the short term and long term with them because he’s been such a statue of that franchise for so long. I think it will be something that they feel their way out as the season goes along on that."

Lakers 2013-14 prediction: 44-38

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PHOENIX -- Thomas Wolfe said it, and Steve Nash has now lived it.

"You can't go home again."

Boy, was that ever true for Nash, the former two-time league MVP with the Phoenix Suns, who returned to his former city twice this season and came up empty both times.

The last time the Los Angeles Lakers came to Phoenix, Nash's initial return was spoiled by a 92-86 loss in a game in which L.A. blew a late lead and Nash had just 11 points on 3-for-8 shooting.

Nash struggled in this one, too, scoring 19 points but shooting just six-for-17 in the process and dishing out just four assists against three turnovers.

It wasn't any better for his teammates.

Here's a recap of what went down:

How it happened: It was a two-man game for L.A. early as Nash and Dwight Howard combined for 21 of the Lakers' 25 first-quarter points, but the Lakers only led by four. Suns rookie Kendall Marshall caught fire in the second quarter, scoring eight points, as the Suns led by as many as eight. But the Lakers were able to cut the deficit down to three at the half. The Suns' lead was five heading into the fourth when it all fall apart for the Lakers. The final blow came when Luis Scola beat the shot clock with a 3 from the top of the key to put Phoenix up by 17 with less than four minutes remaining.

What it means: After two inspiring team-centric wins against Indiana and Sacramento, the Lakers looked flat and sorely missed the energy that Kobe Bryant (sprained left ankle) brings to the game. If you thought the playoffs were all but locked up, think again. Monday was a major reminder of the work that's still ahead for this Lakers team with 13 games left to play.

Hits: At least nobody was seriously injured. There's that. As Mike D'Antoni put it when asked about Bryant getting some rest while all the Lakers had to do was take care of the 23-45 Suns: "If we can win, it’s a silver lining because he rests and gets his body in shape, but if we don’t win, then it’s not very good. So, it’s a double-edged sword."

Misses: Howard missed 12 of 18 shots, Nash missed 11 of 17 and Metta World Peace missed 12 of 17.

The Lakers were outrebounded 55-45.

Nash got a bloody gash on his face by his left eye in the third quarter stemming from a collision with P.J. Tucker. It wasn't quite this bad, however.

Stat of the game: Steve Blake (6-for-11) was the only Laker to shoot 50 percent or better from the field. L.A. shot just 29-for-87 (33.3 percent) as a team.

What's next: The Lakers, mercifully, have the day off Tuesday coming out of their back-to-back and don't play again until Friday, when they host the Washington Wizards. D'Antoni said Bryant would "probably" be back in the lineup by then, and there is a chance that Pau Gasol will also target that game to make his return from the torn plantar fascia injury to his right foot that's kept him out the past six weeks.

Mike D'Antoni declared at his introductory news conference that he envisioned a "Showtime: 2" for the Los Angeles Lakers under his watch and the team should average 110-115 points per game.

He has had to adjust those expectations, obviously.

The Lakers have won six out of their last seven games and have cracked 110 points just twice in that stretch, proving they can grind games out to get the victory even if it goes against the style D'Antoni is known for.

Things could get even slower for the Lakers offense with Pau Gasol out indefinitely and Dwight Howard still sidelined because of a sore right shoulder. L.A. will likely turn to the less-mobile Robert Sacre, whose game is suited for a plodding type of play, to plug up the middle in their absence.

D'Antoni claims he has already adapted to fit the Lakers this season and is ready to continue to do so in light of the injury news.

"We had a system that we ran in Phoenix that was different and it was really successful and I liked it obviously," D'Antoni told the Mason & Ireland Show on ESPNLA 710 radio on Wednesday. "It was fun to play that way, but I don't have a system. I just think we try to play what's best for our personnel and what's best for the game of basketball that's kind of evolving in the last few years. A lot of teams are going a lot smaller, they're spreading the floor more, they're using the 3-point shot a lot more. Basketball has changed and it's changed how you can't guard with your hands on the perimeter and the players have changed -- much more skilled, better shooters, better passers. So, that's where it is today."

D'Antoni's point about the direction the league is heading was evidenced by last year's NBA Finals matchup between the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder that was dominated by wing players on both teams and marginalized the use of back-to-the-basket big men in their approach to the game.

"I can play any way," D'Antoni said. "I don't care if we run, if we slow it down, we want to win and we want to try to get the best out of every player and I do believe that opening the floor up and playing at a faster pace is a lot better for a lot of players.

"Now, we've struggled with that and we weren't built to be the Phoenix team. We weren't built to be real fast. I would like to get there some day, but we're trying to play at the speed that is more conducive to how we are. But, I do believe in a certain way and I do believe certain things in basketball do not change -- that's sharing the ball, spreading the floor, playing great defense, everybody playing for everybody else and not being selfish. I think every coach is more or less the same. I don't think coaches are that much different. It's just how you get your message across and can you get it across."

The Lakers are sixth in the league in points per game this season at 102.12 points per game and eighth in offensive efficiency, averaging 105.3 points per 100 possessions. The Lakers are the only team in the top 10 in the NBA in offensive efficiency with a sub-.500 record, suggesting that while D'Antoni's offense gets most of the attention when figuring out what's wrong with the Lakers, their defense is probably the real culprit.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Lakers might have won four out of their past five games, but they have another negative trend going for them these days.

They're having about as much luck holding on to double-digit leads late in ballgames these days as kids have grabbing on to greased pigs at the county fair.

An 18-point lead against New Orleans was cut all the way to one before L.A. held on to win by five. A 13-point lead against Phoenix was completely erased and then some as the Suns made a fourth-quarter comeback to win by six. A 29-point first half lead against Minnesota was whittled all the way down to four before the Lakers woke up and went on to win by 11.

Why has it been happening?

"I think the biggest thing is, and we talked about it, we have a habit when we’re scoring easily to let down defensively," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said after practice Saturday. "That’s kind of a universal thing, it’s not just us, but instead of being up 20-25 [points] and knocking them out, you’re only up 12 or so."

Kobe Bryant blamed only one of the lapses on the Lakers and credited their opponents for the other two.

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PHOENIX -- They say you can't go home again, and nobody knows that more than Steve Nash this season.

Less than two weeks after the Los Angeles Lakers returned to his native Canada and laid an egg against the Toronto Raptors, L.A. had a similar fate against Nash's former team, the Phoenix Suns.

The Lakers should have had everything to play for to try to get a win for Nash against the team he was a part of the past 10 seasons. Instead, they let him down and continued to let their season slip away from their postseason goal.

How it happened: After a sloppy first half when neither team could get going and went to the locker rooms tied at 41-41, the Lakers turned it on in the third, scoring 32 points in the quarter and pushing their lead up to as many as 13. Phoenix surged back in the fourth after Dwight Howard went out after re-aggravating the labrum injury in his right shoulder, the Suns taking a four-point lead with a late 9-0 run. Bryant was able to tie it up again with four points of his own, but in the final minute, Michael Beasley made a layup and Bryant missed a layup and the Suns were able to salt it away with free throws.

What it means: To borrow a line from a recent column by J.A. Adande, Bryant continues to prove that his fancy passing is not a passing fancy, racking up nine assists after averaging 13 in his previous three games, but we also learned that Bryant's passing isn't a cure-all for this team. There are still problems lurking under the surface, despite the recent three-game winning streak.

Hits: Antawn Jamison had 13 points in 13 minutes on 5-for-6 shooting.

Misses: The Lakers had 19 turnovers compared to just 11 for the Suns. The main culprits were Bryant with six and Pau Gasol with four.

Metta World Peace shot just 6-for-17 on mostly wide-open looks and let Beasley (27 points on 12-for-20 shooting) have his way with him on the defensive end.

Stat of the night: The Lakers are now 5-16 on the road, including losses in their past eight in a row.

What's next: The Lakers have an off day in Minnesota on Thursday before continuing their seven-game trip against the Timberwolves on Friday. We'll see if the day is enough for Howard to get his shoulder back in order in time for the Wolves.

As L.A. contemplates the decline and fall of the Lakers Empire, some fans are starting to look past this disastrous season and toward the offseason -- something nearly unheard of in Lakerland in January.

Nervous questions like “how can the Lakers make the playoffs” are now being replaced with sober inquiries such as “How will Mitch Kupchak fix this mess?”

Naturally, attention is turning toward the Lakers’ upcoming draft picks. If there’s one silver lining to missing the playoffs and landing in the lottery, it’s that the team usually gets a pretty good rookie to show for it. Problem is, the Lakers never envisioned being in this situation, and instead used their upcoming picks like chips at a poker table, throwing them into the pot in order to go all-in with their current hand.

Lottery pick? Not this time.

In two separate but interconnected trades, the Lakers dealt away most of their future draft assets. Let’s look at what happened earlier this year in order to understand what’s going to happen in June when David Stern calls his final draft.

March 15, 2012: The Lakers traded Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, a conditional 2012 first round pick (used to select Jared Cunningham at the 24 spot), future draft considerations and cash to Cleveland for Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga.

While this trade brought the Lakers a stopgap point guard in Sessions, it’s the future draft considerations we want to focus on here. The Cavs had already stockpiled first-round picks from the Heat (in the post-decision LeBron James sign-and-trade) and Kings (as part of their J.J. Hickson-Omri Casspi deal in 2011). In the Sessions trade, the Cavs gained the right to swap the worst of these picks and their own pick with the Lakers, as long as the Lakers’ pick isn’t in the lottery.

From the Lakers’ perspective, this means that if they miss the 2013 playoffs and land in the lottery, they retain their pick. If they make the playoffs, then they will enter the draft with the worst pick from among their own, the Cavs’, the Heat’s and the Kings’ picks.

As a result of this trade, the Lakers’ pick had been partially spoken-for, but they still retained control of it if it turned out to be one of the top 14. This meant they were free to trade it again, as long as it was traded on the condition that it was one of the top 14 picks. They could even trade their pick if it wasn’t one of the top 14, so long as the trade specified that they were giving up whatever pick Cleveland left them with.

That’s exactly what they did.

July 11, 2012: The Lakers traded a 2013 first-round pick, a 2015 first-round pick, two second-round picks (in 2013 and 2014) and cash to Phoenix for Steve Nash.

In a trade that was widely viewed as a coup for the Lakers, the team acquired one of the premier point guards of the millennium (albeit the 38-year-old-version) for what was thought to be a collection of odds-and-ends. Again, we want to focus on the 2013 pick here.

The Lakers essentially agreed to give the Suns whatever pick they end up with in 2013. If the team misses the playoffs and ends up in the lottery (with one of the top 14 picks), the pick goes directly to Phoenix. If the Lakers somehow make the playoffs, then the Cavs still get the first shot at it, and the Lakers will end up with the worst pick from among the four aforementioned teams. But then whichever pick the Lakers end up with would go to Phoenix.

In summary, any way you slice it, the Suns get a first-round pick from the Lakers this summer. If we project the current records to the end of the season, the Lakers would be in the lottery and likely end up with the 10th pick, and the pick would be conveyed to Phoenix. (Historians will note that the Lakers’ only visits to the lottery were in 1994 and 2005, and both times they had the 10th pick, selecting Eddie Jones and Andrew Bynum, respectively.)

So if the Lakers want to have a first-round pick in this June’s draft, they’re going to have to trade for one. Their own pick will go to either Phoenix or Cleveland (likely Phoenix), and the team will be on the outside looking in on June 27. Unless Kupchak trades for another pick, his options are limited.

If Kupchak wants to fix the team through the draft, he likely won’t have a 2013 first-round pick at his disposal.

DENVER -- There is no doubting the impact Steve Nash had on the Los Angeles Lakers' offense in his first two games back from the fractured fibula in his left leg, but there are still two areas of concerns for many Lakers fans: Nash's minutes and his defense.

Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni shrugged off both of those issues before L.A. played the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.

When asked about Nash averaging 39.5 minutes in his first two games back, which allowed him to get to his 14.0 points and 10.0 assist averages along with the Lakers scoring 109 points per game, D'Antoni said he's keeping an eye on Nash's playing time more out of concern for public perception than his point guard's health.

"Yeah, because I will get killed if I say no," D'Antoni said with a chuckle. "He's only 38, come on. Here's how I look at it: I agree, we should get it down to about 34 [minutes per game]. Is three minutes playing better than having a day off the next day? I'm pretty liberal about giving him a day off and don't practice him and making sure he is ready to go. Is it better to go ahead and practice for an hour and a half or give him three minutes on the floor? I go the other way. I think it's more important that he plays, obviously. But, we will watch it, and as [Steve] Blake comes back and we get a little bit more comfortable about where we are, then I can cut it down a little bit more."

D'Antoni said that Blake was about "2-3 weeks" away from returning after undergoing abdominal surgery in early December. Having Blake available will certainly cut into Nash's minutes.

As for Nash's defense, which has been the biggest criticism of his two-time MVP, Hall of Fame-bound career, D'Antoni claims Nash is actually a better defender now than when they teamed together five seasons ago with the Phoenix Suns.

"He hasn't really slowed down; I haven't seen a whole lot," D'Antoni said. "He has gotten better defensively, I think. I think he is a better player now than he was in Phoenix, to a certain degree."

Just how has Nash improved defensively?

"Just him hounding people, getting through picks and different things," D'Antoni said. "He was a little bit better than what they always said, he's a better defender. Especially as a team defender he's really good and his understanding of the game is really good.

"So, it was never true that he couldn't defend and we couldn't defend [in Phoenix]. That's not true. We were always 10th or 11th or 12th or 13th. We were right there playing small and when you play small, you give up some second-chance points. But he said he's worked on his leg strength the last couple years to try to get better at it, and he has."

The Lakers rank 15th in the league this season in defensive efficiency, giving up 102.0 points per 100 possessions.

Dave McMenamin covers the Lakers for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Follow him on Twitter.

Well, the coach is in place, but Mike D'Antoni and his crutches won't make their debut until Sunday, meaning the Bernie Bickerstaff era will continue for one more day. And it's pretty important the interim coach go out on a high note. Given the early hole dug by the Lakers, every opportunity to make up lost ground must be seized. The Suns represent nothing if not a beatable opponent. Phoenix may boast a superior record (4-5) than the Lakers, but the Suns have beaten nobody above .500 and don't have a single player who would definitely crack the starting lineup for the purple and gold. Every winnable game L.A. cashes in is another step toward stabilizing the season.

For more insight on the Suns, we sent five questions to Michael Schwartz from the True Hoop network's Valley of the Suns blog. Below are his responses.

Land O' Lakers: Stylistically, what does the post-Steve Nash era look like? What are the primary differences and do any similarities remain?

Michael Schwartz: This season the Suns are running aspects of the “Corner” offense that Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman popularized, as Fox Sports Arizona’s Randy Hill described in further depth. That has been an easy adjustment for Suns like Goran Dragic, Luis Scola, Michael Beasley and Wesley Johnson, who played for Adelman in recent years. Dragic has been getting everybody involved with dribble penetration and probing for opportunities, and the Suns have run some offense through Scola and Beasley at times in the high post. The Suns still want to play fast, and rank fourth in pace, the highest since 2009-10.

A major difference is the lack of pick-and-roll opportunities. The Suns will still run it at times with Dragic and Gortat, but it’s not the staple it used to be. Jared Dudley used to get open looks when defenses collapsed on the Nash pick-and-roll, so this could be one reason his numbers are down to start the year.

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There are occasionally periods when the news cycle doesn't provide us much in the way of juicy topics for the podKast. Safe to say, this isn't one of those periods. Plenty to chop up, with Mike Brown out, Mike D'Antoni in, and Phil Jackson -- along with his legion of fans -- left mystified. It's officially a new era in the Los Angeles Lakers' illustrious franchise history, and we're diving right in.

The show can be heard by clicking on the module, and a breakdown of talking points is below.





- (2:30): After sharing some secrets for aspiring journos everywhere, we discuss the firing of Brown. Was it fair? Was it the right decision? Why did things ultimately go wrong for Brown?

- (7:19): The Lakers shocked the world by hiring D'Antoni, despite all the reporting (and fan noise) that strongly pointed in a third tour of duty for The Zen Master. First things first. What does this development do to the Buss Family Thanksgiving dinner just around the corner?

- (10:26): We examine why Jackson may have deemed a lesser fit than D'Antoni. There are legitimate reasons to question this roster's compatibility with the triangle, and more important, how fully invested Phil would remain, given the physical and mental toll the NBA grind seemed to take on him through the 2011 season.

- (14:23): What adjustments could be necessary by D'Antoni to get the most out of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard, and the supporting cast? How will this team eventually look with everyone healthy and on the same page? (By the way, it occurred to me after recording how the better "Where does Pau fit in?" comparison player was probably Boris Diaw, rather than Shawn Marion.)

- (19:10): Our biggest concern about D'Antoni might be his habit of running very short rotations, which simply cannot happen with a roster so collectively long in the tooth. However, we're not nearly as concerned about the "no defense" reputation that has plagued the coach since his days in Phoenix. While those Suns were hardly the second coming of the Bad Boy Pistons, they were actually better than credited.

- (20:55): The Kamenetzky brothers are gonna miss interim head coach Bernie Bickerstaff sooooooooooo much.

Give the Lakers credit. They never run out of ways to keep the world guessing. One day after giving Mike Brown a public vote of confidence, they send the guy packing. And then upon prepping everyone for the “Godfather Part III” installment of Phil Jackson in L.A. (“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”), an audible is called for Mike D’Antoni, the man painted as the distant second choice. There’s a reason this franchise has flourished in Hollywood.

Given how “We want Phil” chants have echoed through Staples Center the past two days, I know this decision will leave many fans disappointed. Each of Jackson’s stints in L.A. have featured multiple championships, and this is a team built to immediately carry that tradition. In theory, what’s not to like?

However, something about hiring Jackson always struck me as overly familiar. Predictable. A bit too convenient. You could hear the wheels turning inside the heads of fans, media and players alike. "Phil is available. ... He lives in the South Bay. ... Eleven titles. ... Zen Master. ... Of course he's the guy."

Except, of course, most complex situations typically don't resolve in ready-made, neat solutions. And I wasn’t entirely convinced another go-round with Phil was quite the slam dunk most people thought.

To begin with, the seamless-return narrative was exaggerated. Only five current Lakers players have played under Jackson, and three had relatively short stints. A few notable highs notwithstanding, Metta World Peace’s time in PJ's system was, to say the least, turbulent. Steve Blake played one year under Jackson and was visibly uncomfortable in the triangle. During Devin Ebanks' lone campaign with Phil, the then-rookie rarely removed his warm-ups. Only Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol have truly flourished in the triangle. As Bryant noted after Friday's win, the 1999-2000 squad won a title in its first triangular season, but it was also loaded with veterans who spent years playing against Jackson's Chicago Bulls, which created some degree of familiarity. This 2012-13 roster wouldn't figure to benefit from that luxury.

There was also the issue of Steve Nash, who remains the same odd fit in the triangle as he was in the Princeton. Either the Hall of Fame point guard would have endured another learning curve in a system that doesn't cater to his style, or Jackson would have been forced to tweak his offense to accommodate a type of player he's never coached. Both approaches could have meant more heads bumping, and at least one reason Brown was fired was to avoid such a scenario.

It's also worth remembering that Jackson's last season with the Lakers didn't end particularly well, beyond just the second-round sweep at the hands of Dallas. As I wrote at the time, 2010-11 wasn't a strong season for Jackson. He had to be cajoled into returning, then throughout the season often seemed disconnected with players, unable to reach and motivate them. The team appeared less prepared than it should have been at key moments, and that lack of poise reared its ugly head during a playoff run that went from wobbly to disastrous. Too often Jackson relied too heavily on his established approach rather than venturing out of his comfort zone to address what clearly wasn’t working with the team. Truth be told, he appeared tired of the NBA grind, like a man who realized he might have made a mistake in returning.

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The Los Angeles Lakers have five former All-Stars in their starting lineup this season, meaning some, if not all, of them will have to make sacrifices in their individual offensive games for the betterment of the unit as a whole.

The question is, who will be the one willing to take a back seat?

Kobe Bryant is the fifth-leading scorer in NBA history and was second in the league in scoring average just last season. Dwight Howard is in the prime of his career and was brought over from the Orlando Magic to become the next face of the franchise. Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace are coming off seasons during which they averaged career lows and seemed poised for bounce-back campaigns.

Looks like man with the hipster hairdo is the person in line to have his scoring get a trim.

Steve Nash averaged just 5.8 points per game during the preseason while taking a mere 4.9 shot attempts per contest. While Nash shot an efficient 48.7 percent from the field, he hardly looked for his offense personally. He scored in double digits just once (13 points against the Portland Trail Blazers) while never reaching double-digit shot attempts (nine field goals attempted in that same game against the Blazers).

There was certainly a list of factors contributing to his low exhibition scoring totals, including:

1. He played just 22.1 minutes per game.
2. He was learning the Lakers' new, Princeton-style offense for himself as a scorer.
3. He also was learning the Lakers' new, Princeton-style offense for himself as a point guard, looking to set up his teammates.

But could the preseason have been an indicator the 38-year-old Nash's numbers are set to take a dip this year? Is it possible that with all the talent around him, his points per game average could drop to single digits for the first time since 1999-2000, when he was only a part-time starter with the Dallas Mavericks?

"It would surprise me a little bit if he averaged single-digit points," Lakers coach Mike Brown said. "Is it a bad thing if he did? No. He’s just such a good shooter and playmaker that, with all the other guys we have on the floor, if he’s just out there with them, he should get six to eight points alone by somebody getting double-teamed or somebody over-helping on somebody else and now the ball gets kicked to him. ... And then he can go get his shot three to four times a game, and that should put him right at that 10- to 12-point range with a few free throws here or there."

Nash averaged 12.5 points per game for the Phoenix Suns last year, his 16th season, while playing 31.6 minutes per game. Brown has indicated that he'd like Nash's minutes to stay around that level this season, so court time shouldn't be a problem. But what about opportunities?

Nash averaged 8.9 shots last season, partly because the ball was always flowing through his hands on offense. So looks just happen that way ... and partly because the Suns had inferior talent than the Lakers do this year and Nash was needed to score a lot of time to keep the Phoenix in the game.

Nash said he is still feeling his way out there.

"I don’t know what’s going to happen yet," Nash said. "But I think, if anything, I was a little less aggressive in the preseason just because I was trying to figure out the offense and trying to be in the right spot and take responsibility for getting everyone in their right positions."

While everyone in the Lakers organization would choose Nash's assists per game staying in double-digits over his scoring (last season Nash was second in the league to Boston's Rajon Rondo with 10.7 assists per game), it's too early to write Nash off as a scoring threat.

"He’s trying to figure out where his holes and stuff like that are going to be within the offense," Brown said. "And so, as a point guard you’re not just figuring out only where your stuff is, but you got to figure out where everybody else’s stuff is going to lay, too. How is Dwight going to get his touches? How is Kobe going to get his touches? How is Metta going to get his touches? How is Pau going to get his touches?

"So," said the coach, "it was a lot more thought process going into that point guard spot than what Kobe has to think about or Dwight or anything like that because, for the most part, they don’t have to really worry about anybody else’s spot. They just go ahead and execute the offense, and when they get their opportunity within the offense, go ahead and look to score. Whereas Nash has got to kind of keep everybody happy, and then, on top of it, look for his. So, I think in time he’ll figure out where he can be more aggressive."

Dave McMenamin covers the Lakers for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Follow him on Twitter.

We don't know how the games will play out*, but now at least we know the order in which they'll be played. The 2012-13 schedule was released Thursday afternoon, and as it always does, the 82-game regular-season slate provides plenty of intrigue.

Here's a quick breakdown:

Five compelling dates on the 2012-13 schedule:

1. Nov. 2 vs. Los Angeles Clippers

This year, as it was in 2011-12, it’s not simply a Battle for L.A., but for the Pacific Division. Both teams enter the season having improved, at least on paper, with the Clips adding Lamar Odom, Grant Hill, and Jamal Crawford to the Chris Paul/Blake Griffin core. How will this tweaked Clippers lineup match up with the Steve Nash-led Lakers? Not surprisingly, the answer might revolve around Odom. Lakers fans can certainly give Clips loyalists a tutorial in the whole “L.O. as X factor” thing.

The home opener (Oct. 30 vs. Dallas) is always a huge deal and will give Staples Center its first look at Nash in home colors, but this is the first game against an upper-tier foe. (Interestingly, the Lakers and Clips basically bookend their seasons, playing the last game in the season series on April 7, a day that could have major playoff implications.)

2. Dec. 25 vs. New York

The Knicks certainly have questionable ownership and this whole Melo/Amare thing isn’t working out quite as planned, but we’re still talking Knicks vs. Lakers, Christmas Day. L.A. vs. New York. Aesthetically, it might be a little cooler if they scheduled this one at the Garden -- snowy day, big beauty shots of the tree at Rockefeller Center, ice skating and all that -- but palm trees are nice, too, and the Knicks represent a little twist to recent Xmas opponents.

3. Jan. 17 vs. Miami

We won’t know yet if the Lakers are truly a championship-caliber team, but that won’t keep anyone from projecting this as a potential preview of the Finals, particularly if the Lakers enter with a strong record. It’s always intriguing to see how the Lakers defend LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, but the big question is how efficiently L.A. scores the ball. In the Big Three Era, Miami typically has smothered the Lakers. With Nash guiding the offense and a still-sizable (ha!) advantage in the post, can the purple and gold flip the script? A great measuring stick game against an elite defensive team, and also likely more meaningful as a point of comparison because the Lakers’ visit to Miami (Feb. 10) comes at the end of a season-long seven-game road trip.

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Steve Nash's introductory press conference Wednesday in El Segundo featured plenty of sentiment along the lines of "I never expected this to happen." Nash, who'd previously stated his apprehension to join a heated rival, described this chapter of his career as "surreal." Mitch Kupchak, who smiled while describing the point guard as "a thorn in the Lakers' side for most of this decade," still seemed to be wrapping his head around Nash sharing a backcourt with Kobe Bryant. And really, who can blame anyone pinching themselves during this meet-and-greet? Absolutely nobody, including the Lakers' brass, anticipated this turn of events, as Kupchak explained while recounting the courtship of the two-time MVP.

"We always like to call our players that are free agents first," recalled Kupchak. "Ramon Sessions and Jordan Hill. Players that were on our roster. So we did that. Coincidentally, Steve Nash is also represented by Jordan Hill's representative [Bill Duffy]. Steve was on the top of our list, in terms of point guards, but it never occurred to me that he would be available. All we had was the (mini mid-level), which is a $3 million exception. Jim Buss kept on saying, "Mitch, don't forget to call. Don't forget to call." Of course, he's at the top of the list. I said, 'Jim, I'm not sure this is something that can even begin to work out, but you never know until you try.'

"So when I spoke to Bill Duffy, we talked about Jordan Hill and I talked about Steve Nash. And his first comment was, 'Mitch, would you like to speak to him?' I said, 'Of course.' And then 10 seconds later, he was on the phone. He was with Steve Nash when I called at 12:01. I think they were together in New York. So that doesn't happen very often. Maybe looking back on it, it was a sign, if you believe in those things. Didn't hear much for a day or two, and then we got a call from Bill Duffy saying Steve's thought about the conversation we had and he'd like to make this work. So that started the whole thing with Phoenix in motion."

But as I thought about the general manager's words, I realized "motion" actually began much earlier, even if we didn't know it at the time. Looking backward, here's everything required to happen before Nash eventually ended up a Laker.

-- The Chris Paul deal must get scuttled, which eventually led to Lamar Odom asking out, which created the trade exception allowing the Lakers to absorb Nash in a sign-and-trade deal. Not that anyone would necessarily be complaining with CP3 around, of course, but the core would now be thinner, and despite any money saved by moving Odom and Pau Gasol, financial flexibility to build a supporting cast wouldn't necessarily have been gained. One could argue, at least in the short run, the team is better off as currently constructed. Either way, Nash certainly wouldn't be a Laker with Paul on board.

-- Hill must become the incoming player from Houston in the Derek Fisher deal. Otherwise, Kupchak might not call Duffy at 12:01 (regarding Hill), preventing him from talking directly with Nash so early in the process. Not that Kupchak couldn't have successfully gotten the ball rolling later, but given Nash's reluctance to become a Laker, the longer he stewed in that mindset, the dicier the prospect of changing his outlook could grow. Plus, as ESPN.com's Marc Stein noted in this must-read feature, the Raptors and Knicks pulled out ALL the stops pitching Nash, so having the Lakers on his brain from minute one was a bonus.

-- Sessions must opt out of the final year of his deal, creating a void at the starting point guard. Had Sessions opted in, the front office might have been content to see how the young player developed in a full year as the team's starter. And with Sessions off the books, absorbing Nash's salary perhaps becomes more palatable for the cost-conscious bean counters.

-- Kupchak must decide to let Kobe talk with Nash first early in the process rather than later, "a risk" given The Mamba's unpredictable nature. (Kupchak's words, not mine, so don't kill the messenger.) As it turned out, Bryant's salesmanship played a big role in persuading the point guard to join forces.

-- And finally, Suns owner Robert Sarver, despite whatever bitter taste it could leave in the mouths of Phoenix's fan base (not to mention his own), must agree to help a fierce divisional rival become a more legitimate contender by trading them arguably the franchise's most iconic player.

Safe to say, a lot of unrelated situations were required to pile up to reach an endgame involving the Lakers' best point guard since Magic Johnson. Was some luck involved? No question. But at the same time, every successful franchise benefits from lady luck occasionally smiling on them. Plus, some of these events (CP3, LO's departure, Sessions becoming a free agent) weren't necessarily regarded as positives from the outset. In fact, they actually left many (myself included) to periodically wonder if the Lakers were stuck between a rock and a hard place. But in the end, these obstacles, through happy coincidences, patience, and savvy were eventually converted into a productive conclusion.

As the saying goes, you make your own luck.