Player movement update

The Los Angeles Lakers did it. They got Vlade Divac. A center with hands. A guy who can pass. The perfect complement to forward/center Brian Grant, who handles the basketball as if he is allergic to it.

In addition, the Lakers dumped Gary Payton on Boston, removing one of their 2003-04 headaches.

Of course, they also traded superstar Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat. Odds are that the Lakers will regret that move in the long run.

On the coaching front, the Lakers rode Phil Jackson out of town and hired Rudy Tomjonavich as their next coach, merely to placate Kobe Bryant.

This is not, however, the first time a Lakers' megastar forced a coaching change in Tinseltown.

Ask former coach Paul Westphal why he was booted out of LA, leading to the hiring of Pat Riley. It was to keep Magic Johnson happy, that's why.

The Sacramento Kings did it. They signed Greg Ostertag. A center with a questionable work ethic and no hands. The perfect complement to Brad Miller, who passes, rebounds, shoots, scores, and plays defense.

Just think: when Ostertag is "on," playing one of his occasional five-block defensive masterpieces, the Kings will be incredible.

More realistic Kings fans should hope both Miller and power forward Chris Webber stay healthy all year, or Ostertag and Darius Songaila will be forced to play major minutes.

The Portland Trailblazers got Nick Van Exel. That was a good move, at least before factoring in Van Exel's likely negative attitude on a non-playoff team. The Blazers did need a shooter off the bench, however, and backup point guard was a weakness. Problems solved.

Dumping center Dale Davis on the Golden State Warriors also freed up playing time up front, just in case the Blazers have to make do with Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Zach Randolph trying to share the power forward position again.

Golden State needed ... another generic big man? Another huge contract to make the Adonal Foyle signing look like the norm? Dale Davis fits the bill on both counts.

The Miami Heat did it. They acquired center Shaq from the Lakers, and, presumably, a thousand calls came from top-tier free agents the minute after the trade went through. Who wouldn't want to play with Shaq and Dwayne Wade?

The Denver Nuggets did it. They got Kenyon Martin. Of course, Martin is not going to be quite as good without Jason Kidd feeding him the ball, but the acquisition makes sense. He will fit in with athletic teammates like Nene Hilario, Marcus Camby, Andre Miller and Carmelo Anthony.

With the addition of Martin, the Nuggets will continue their fast, aggressive style of play.

San Antonio picked up Brent Barry. A clutch shooter. A passer. An active scorer. Yet another versatile piece in the Spurs' lineup. With Barry providing backbone off the bench, do not expect the Spurs to fall apart from the outside as they did against the Lakers in the playoffs.

The Dallas Mavericks are in deep trouble. They still lack a true center who can get physical with Tim Duncan and Yao Ming.

At point guard, the absence of big names speaks volumes: no Steve Nash, no Jason Kidd, no Tony Parker. Yes, the Mavs acquired Jason Terry from the Atlanta Hawks, but Terry has always been more of a scorer than a true point guard.

Antoine Walker, the three-point shooting forward Dallas traded for Terry, has a career average of 4.2 assists per game, while Terry has averaged 5.5 assists per game, with only one season above six assists.

Perhaps Terry will flourish in the Mavs' high-octane offense, but he must improve his passing for Dallas to be successful.

The Houston Rockets traded Steve "Stevie Franchise" Francis to the Orlando Magic for Tracy McGrady. With McGrady, the Rockets have a dominant perimeter player to supplement Yao Ming's inside scoring. In time, the Rockets will be very, very good. Come to think of it, that "time" may be right now.

After losing young power forward Carlos Boozer to the Utah Jazz, the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired power forward Drew Gooden and point guard Eric Snow. Lebron James will appreciate Snow's defensive focus and unselfishness on offense. Gooden remains a talented player who has never quite reached his potential.

Based on the above moves, it is safe to say that Denver, San Antonio, Houston, and Miami will be teams worth watching this season. Meanwhile, Dallas, Portland, Cleveland and the Lakers look like interesting experiments that might not work out.