It’s not that hard to envision a scenario that brings Paul to the Lakers. It starts with Jackson retiring, a move he said he is “leaning toward.” Then bring in Byron Scott to replace him, as has long been rumored. Out goes the triangle offense, which probably wouldn’t suit Paul. In comes Paul, who maintained a good relationship with Scott even after Scott was fired by the Hornets. (That’s more than could be said with Scott’s previous two point guards, Baron Davis and Jason Kidd.) Meanwhile, Scott and Kobe Bryant go way back to Kobe’s rookie year, when they were teammates, so that would work, too.

Why would any of this work for the Hornets? They need to shed salary, with the four years and $52 million remaining on Emeka Okafor’s contract sticking out on their spreadsheet like a nun on Bourbon Street. The best way to entice a team to take on that contract would be to include Paul in the deal, painful though it may be for the Hornets. Besides, if they really like Paul and want to repay him for everything he’s done for that franchise and the New Orleans community they’ll give him a chance to play for a championship contender.

They could send Paul (owed $14.9 million in 2010-11) and Okafor ($11.5 million), with contracts totaling $26.4 million, to the Lakers for the combined $27.5 million in 2010-11 contracts of Andrew Bynum ($13.8 million), Lamar Odom ($8.2 million) and Sasha Vujacic ($5.5 million). This would have to be done after July 1, when Paul and Bynum are no longer base-year compensation players. The short-range benefit for the Hornets is that Vujacic’s contract expires after next season and they would pay Bynum and Odom about $5 million less than the approximately $29 million Paul and Okafor will make in 2011-12, which would make the slight increase in the 2010-11 payroll a little easier to digest. The biggest savings could be in 2012-13, which are team-option years for both Bynum and Odom. The Hornets could have $24 million come off the books in 2012 instead of being on the hook for the final two years and $28 million of Okafor’s contract through 2014. Or they could keep Bynum if he lives up to the potential he demonstrated in his best months with the Lakers. Despite all of his injuries, the thought of Bynum at $16.5 million in 2012-13 sounds better than Okafor at $13.5 million

The immediate return would be a competitive lineup next season that included Bynum, Odom, Darren Collison and David West, with Peja Stojakovic still around in the final year of his contract. That’s better than the squad they fielded for the 37 games Paul missed last season. It’s not a championship lineup but it could at least make a run at the playoffs.

The Lakers could be eying space for another banner on the crowded Western wall of Staples Center. They’d be looking at a backcourt of Bryant and Paul, with Pau Gasol, Okafor and Ron Artest up front. Derek Fisher could go to the bench and be preserved for important playoff situations. With Bryant more averse to driving the lane the past few seasons, Paul could be the guy to create off the dribble. And Paul’s proclivity for steals could set the Lakers up for easy transition baskets. Just imagine him testing the limits of Shannon Brown’s vertical leap with lob passes (if Brown came back to L.A. next season).

The fact that the Lakers have been to three NBA Finals and won two championships since they acquired Gasol from the Grizzlies makes that deal one of the great trades in NBA history. Why not try to do it one better by going after Chris Paul?  – Article was written by J.A Adande for ESPN.com.

The Lakers have $83.9 million committed to eight players for next season, nearly $16 million above the luxury tax threshold that comes with a dollar-for-dollar penalty for salary spent over that line. The Lakers will need to sign five more players (six if Shannon Brown opts out of his contract) and will have the mid level exception, valued at approximately $5.5 million, available to do so despite the team being so far over the $56.1 million salary cap.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvIOMtbanRg

After having battled various knee and back injuries in the past couple years, Tracy McGrady has been working himself back into shape under the strenuous regimen of esteemed athletic trainer Tim Grover. Now that he has finished his physical rehabilitation program, McGrady is feeling rejuvenated enough to make a return in the 2010-2011 NBA season.   Despite having limited intentions to use the Mid-Level Exception this summer, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak would consider pulling the trigger on the seven-time All-Star swingman should he accept a paycut at the MLE. Ron Artest, the defensive-minded role player who played a huge factor in this year’s Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals, has reached out to McGrady to “end his career as a champion.”

The Lakers are willing to explore a potential reunion of former Houston teammates Ron Artest and Tracy McGrady once the July 1 free agency begins.   In Los Angeles, Tracy McGrady would be asked to come off the bench as a role player, similar to what Lakers’ forward Lamar Odom has done in the past two seasons. McGrady would provide the Lakers’ bench unit with some offensive firepower and stability, and be another deadly weapon in the already loaded Lakers’ arsenal.

Most importantly, the acquisition of Tracy McGrady would address the important need for a secondary slasher besides Kobe Bryant. As advocated by Laker great Jerry West, “I think they do need some changes. If you look, they have some free agents that are coming up but the thing that would most concern me is I think they need someone else other than Kobe Bryant getting in the lane.”   Moreover, unlike former teams in which he was asked to carry the team throughout the entire season, Tracy McGrady understands that a potential role with the Lakers would not require such an emotionally draining position of leadership. McGrady has tremendous respect for the reigning Finals MVP Kobe Bryant, and has made it known that he would gladly accept a lesser role to play alongside whom he considers the best basketball player in the world.   As expressed by one high-ranked official within the Lakers’ management, should Tracy McGrady not return to the New York Knicks next season or spurn retirement, “expect the deal to get done by end of July.”

2.  Nate is tough.  The lakers could always use another gritty player come playoff time.  Nate Robinson is cut from the same mold as Derek Fisher and I believe Fisher would be a significant role model for him.

3.  Hollywood loves Nate’s story.  Don’t kid yourself, the fans will love the 3 time Slam Dunk Champ!

4.  Nate is Available! According to industry insiders, Nate will only waive his “no trade” clause to the Celtics or the Lakers.

5.  If the Lakers don’t get him, the Celtics will…

Watch Nate Win the 2010 NBA Dunk Contest

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P4qyqRPYgE

Not in the least based in reality, but a great marketing comment. Already one LA television morning program talked about it today, I’m writing about it and you can bet sports talk radio will squeeze that in between Brett Favre talk today. And every time it’s mentioned his new reality show gets another free plug. But Shaq is not coming back to the Lakers. There are as many reasons as Shaq has had nicknames though his career.

First, remember the preseason game before Shaq was traded to Miami when he ran down the court screaming at Lakers owner Jerry Buss, “Pay me! Pay me!” because he wanted a contract extension. I guarantee you that Buss does, and that he still fumes a little at that. Those comments greased the rails for Shaq’s slide out of town, and Buss does not forgive that easily.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezSxYIzkjjg

Artest’s exuberance — he spent the whole summer in L.A., including several appearances at Lakers home games during the NBA Finals — got ahead of the process a bit. Other teams that made overtures for Artest — including the Cavaliers — have not yet been notified that Artest is signing with the Lakers. (Consider them notified.) Bauman has spoken with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, but parameters have not yet been agreed to. Still, it’s pretty clear where Artest is going.  “I don’t really care about the money,” Artest said. “I’ll play there for nothing. … L.A. was very interested in me, and they got me.”

UPDATE: Lakers spokesman John Black declined to comment on Artest’s assertion, but another person with knowledge of the situation corroborated Artest’s account that he will sign with L.A. pending the financial parameters being finalized.  Only 24 hours earlier, the buzz was focused on Artest joining LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal in Cleveland in what would’ve made a potent Big Three on the shores of Lake Erie. It would’ve been, well, eerie, too: Artest’s internal combustion engine, combined with LeBron’s exquisite dominance and Shaq’s alpha-male, all-round Shaq-ness would’ve been something to see.  But Artest said talks with Cleveland “never got that far.” Told that Cleveland, by all accounts, had extreme interest, Artest said, “I don’t know how extreme. I love the Cleveland Cavaliers, though. I love LeBron and Coach (Mike) Brown and Shaq.”

But what he really loves is L.A.  “L.A. is what it is,” Artest said. “I’ve been here for the whole summer, and it’s pretty good. It’s good for me. I know Lamar Odom, so that’s pretty cool.”  Artest spoke as though Odom would return to the Lakers to join Artest and Kobe Bryant for another title run. The addition of Artest would mean the Lakers have to choose between Odom and Trevor Ariza. Obviously, Ariza would be the odd man out and already has expressed displeasure with the Lakers’ efforts to lure him back with only the mid-level exception.

UPDATE: The addition of Artest is a coup for the defending champion Lakers, who have faced the prospect of trying to retain their own free agents, Odom and Ariza, and have seen other contenders make major efforts to improve. Most notably, the Celtics dispatched their Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce, along with coach Doc Rivers and managing partner Wyc Grousbeck to Detroit on Thursday to offer free agent Rasheed Wallace a mid-level contract. Cleveland’s acquisition of Shaq put the Lakers, Celtics, and Magic on notice that the Cavaliers were making a serious push for a title next season. The Cavs’ pursuit of Wallace, Artest, and Ariza signaled that they weren’t finished after the pre-draft trade for Shaq.  “I talked to Coach Phil, and I was happy to talk to him,” Artest said. “Big fan of Coach Phil. My agent talked to Kupchak, and I met with Dr. Buss. I’m very, very excited.”  Read the Original article at CBS Sportsline.

General manager Mitch Kupchak said Wednesday that there was a “better than even likelihood” the team would get rid of its first-round pick.  “There’s a lot of interest, absolutely,” he said. “Certain teams, they may want to preserve cap space for the next year or two and they may need to add players. A good way to add talent at a fixed price is to have a lot of draft choices and then you can still maintain cap space a year from now.”

The Lakers are hopeful they will re-sign Trevor Ariza, Shannon Brown and Lamar Odom, all of whom become unrestricted free agents on July 1. If so, that would bring the roster to the league-minimum 13 players, making it unlikely the team would add another player.  “With our situation, you don’t want to draft players that can’t make your team because your roster’s full,” Kupchak said. “So we may look to move or to exchange our draft picks for future picks or whatever we choose to do.”

With point guard Derek Fisher approaching 35, Kupchak acknowledged the team has been preparing to find his successor. Leading up to the draft, the team has worked out about 30 players.  “We have Jordan [Farmar], who’s had moments when he looks like the guy who could assume that position and Shannon Brown did a great job as well, but I think that position in the future is still undetermined,” Kupchak said. “We need to figure out who is going to take over that position when Derek retires.”

Kupchak anticipates finding out whether Phil Jackson will return as coach by mid-July after Jackson checks out his health issues.  During his two stints with the Lakers, Jackson has had two hip replacement surgeries, an angioplasty and gout. He missed two games last season with swelling and soreness in both legs.

Jackson said in an interview with ESPN radio on Tuesday that “we’ve toyed around with that idea” of having him coach home games and having assistant Kurt Rambis coach road games next season.  But Kupchak said Wednesday that Jackson wouldn’t return unless he’s able to coach the entire 82-game schedule.  “What he said, he didn’t mean it to sound the way it sounded,” Kupchak said. “If he comes back to coach, he will come back and coach both home and away games. During my discussion with him it was pretty clear that that type of scenario doesn’t work and that’s his opinion as well.”

Kupchak believes there is a good chance of Jackson returning.  “I think he wants to come back, I think he likes our team, he’s excited, he’s very energized with what took place this year,” Kupchak said. “I think it solely rests on his ability medically to come back and coach. I’ve got no indication there’s been a red flag yet.”