The extremely competitive Western Conference has been busy this off-season, with players finding new homes, and other players resigning with their current teams.

The biggest move thus far in the West belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers acquired veteran guard Steve Nash in exchange for two first-round picks, two-second round picks, and cash. The addition of Nash helps the Lakers continue to be dominant in the West. Kobe Bryant no longer needs constant control of the ball; Nash will help get whoever is on the court involved, especially young center Andrew Bynum. Bynum is coming off his best year of his career. The addition of Nash will help the powerful center improve even more. A healthy Lakers team could possibly make a run to the finals next season.

The Phoenix Suns took a significant step back with the loss of Nash. They did however rebounded with the signing of Goran Dragic.  Dragic signed a four-year $30 million deal that could increase to $34 million due to player option as well as bonus options. Dragic will have serious shoes to fill but will start for the Sun next season. The Yugoslavian-born point guard is coming off his best career season, averaging 11.7 points per game, and 5.3 assists per game while only starting 28 games for Houston. The Suns also picked up Luis Scola, which definitely improves their front court.

The Houston Rockets have welcomed back point guard Jeremy Lin to a three-year $25 million deal. Lin officially became a member of the Rockets after the Knicks did not match Houston’s offer. Lin will start in Houston and have a huge impact, especially after the departure of both Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowry

Los Angeles Clippers were able to re-sign guard Chauncey Billups. The five-time All-Star was off to a good start, until his season was cut short after tearing his left Achilles tendon. They also signed guard Jamal Crawford, who will have an impact, especially with the departure of Nick Young and Mo Williams. In a multi-team deal, the Clippers also landed Lamar Odom. Odom is coming from Dallas, off the worst season of his career.

Minnesota Timberwolves have made some moves that will help improve their young talented squad. They signed guard Brandon Roy to a two-year $10.4 million deal. Roy, who retired earlier in December due to knee problems, is attempting a comeback. Although Roy may not be explosive or effective right away, the youngster could potentially restore his career. In addition, the Wolves acquired Chase Budinger from Houston in exchange for the #18th pick of the draft.

The Sacramento Kings have added guard Aaron Brooks to a two year deal, approximately worth $6.6 million. Brooks will have to work for his playing time, especially after the great play of Isaiah Thomas. Also the addition of Brooks has guard Jimmer Fredette’s playing time up in the air. The kings have tons of options to choose from to run the court next season.

After being knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks have attempted to piece some players together, which  they hope will help in getting back atop the Western Conference. Dallas signed, center Chris Kaman to a one year $8 million deal. Kaman will start in Dallas and will likely improve being next to Dirk Nowitzki. Dallas also signed forward Elton Brand as a back-up for both Dirk and Kaman. Dallas was also able to replace Jason Kidd with Darren Collison,  who joined the Mavs via trade along with Dahntay Jones. The Mavs also picked up guard O.J. Mayo, who will be an important young asset after the departure of Jason Terry.

One of the more exciting young teams to watch next season in the West will be the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets were able to re-sign young guard Eric Gordon. The Hornets matched the Suns’ four-year $58 million offer in order to retain the essential playmaker. The Hornets were also able to acquire forward Ryan Anderson from Orlando via trade, as well as center Brad Miller via trade from Minnesota. Although these signings may not make people say whoa, let’s not forget the Hornets drafted Anthony Davis, as well as Austin Rivers, and could be a team of the future.

As for the San Antonio Spurs, who finished with the first seed in the Western Conference, they were able to re-sign Boris Diaw, Tim Duncan, Danny Green, and Patrick Mills.

Although the Western Conference did not have as many moves as the East, essential changes have been made for several teams in their efforts to improve.

Click here,for more free agents deals and signings.

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Since the Carmelo trade during last years 2010-2011 NBA season there has been speculation on both ends whether the trade was better for Denver or New York. Initially it seemed the Knicks were getting the sweet end of the deal but looking at the numbers now, some people may think a little differently. Looking at the regular season records for both teams since the Carmelo Anthony trade, the Knicks are 20-22, not even .500, while the Denver Nuggets are 28-12, sixteen games over .500.

When analyzing the trade that took place between the NY Knicks the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, neither team kept all players in the trade. Most of these players were traded after the lockout for other reasons. The Knicks lost Raymond Felton who was their starting point guard, although they received a veteran point guard in Chauncey Billups through the trade, after the lockout they got rid of Billups to free up cap space to sign big free agent Tyson Chandler from the Mavericks.

Everyone knows that D’Antoni preaches offense and is known for not being the best defensive coach. Then this stat would confuse some people in that, the Knicks are 22nd in offensive efficiency, which is a stat that measures points per every 100 possessions. While the Knicks are 22nd in this category the, “Meloless” Nuggets rank 5th.

So this leads to the question what is missing in the NY Knicks offense and the answer is: a solid point guard. With the loss of Billups and Felton, the Knicks fell back to signing two other veteran point guards, Mike Bibby from the Miami Heat, and Baron Davis from the Cleveland Cavaliers who is still trying to return from injuries.

With that in mind, much of the weight of the Knicks offense was not on any of their “Big 3″ so to speak, but on their rookie point guard Iman Shumpert out of Georgia Tech. Shumpert has come to the starting position and said in an interview about Carmelo and Stoudemire, “We’re making them take a lot of tough shots and we’re depending on them to score points,” Shumpert said. “We’ve got to make the offense a lot smoother.”

Shumpert makes a good point because coming into Wednesday game against the Suns, the Knicks were fifth worst in field goal percentage, and in the game against the Suns, the Knicks shot only 37.5 percent. Shumpert has a lot to learn being a rookie. When you look at teams like the San Antonio Spurs with Tony Parker, you see a team with a solid point guard with a smooth running offense.

That means breaking down the defense, running the offense, calling the right plays and finding the open man in order to put points on the board. Maybe Knicks is not giving Shumpert time to develop and go after veteran point guard Steve Nash who will be a free agent after this season. Looking back he ran a flawless offense with Stoudmire that could potentially work in D’Antoni’s offense.

The Knicks look to turn their four game losing streak around this Friday at the Garden when the 4-9 Milwaukee Bucks come into town. More importantly the Nuggets come to NY for the first time since the Melo trade and they come into the Garden with a better record the NY Knicks, and all eyes are on Melo to deliver an all-star performance.

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