Michael Ventre

Around this time last year, the Boston Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. And we all saw how that turned out. The Celtics plowed through the East, rolled past the Lakers, cruised along in a parade and sashayed into a rather enjoyable summer vacation.

So far, there hasn’t been a corresponding seismic event during this offseason that would upend the status quo and thrust a new candidate into the favorite’s role for the NBA championship. But there have been some moments of reality show drama that will at least keep hardwood obsessives in a tizzy until training camps open again in October.

The most salacious bit of intrigue involved the Los Angeles Clippers, and when was the last time that happened? Usually the Clippers are about as captivating as a pair of old sweat socks. Yet this time they made news when they signed Baron Davis, but then lost Elton Brand to the Philadelphia 76ers. And as an added bonus, they also lost Corey Maggette to the Golden State Warriors.

As an entertainment event, they went from “This Old House” to “Desperate Housewives” in a matter of seconds.

The Brand episode had all the elements of a high-school romance gone awry. Suffice to say that the Clippers thought they were adding a dynamic point guard and native son in Davis to excite the populace and thrust the club into playoff contention again — assuming Brand re-signed. But now the Clippers have to replace Brand’s 20-10 production at the power forward spot, not to mention his presence as a leader and otherwise standup guy (until now, that is).

By adding Davis, they get the scoring and the court generalship, not to mention gimpy knees. But they’re just treading water if they can’t fill Brand’s absence with someone like Atlanta’s Josh Smith or Charlotte’s Emeka Okafor. And Maggette’s scoring (22.2 points per game last season) will have to be found elsewhere; perhaps some of it will come from rookie shooting guard Eric Gordon.

In Maggette, the Warriors got someone who fits their profile — a scorer who can prosper in an up-tempo game, but who is not known for his defense. Maggette’s numbers will be a welcome addition, but without a complete personality makeover (i.e., more than just adding Ronny Turiaf’s sneer) Golden State will be a bystander in the furious West.

Besides Davis, Golden State also suffered a blow when Mickael Pietrus, a high energy swingman who can guard people, signed with Orlando for the mid-level exception.

The Sixers, meanwhile, had reason for hope even before getting Brand. Now they add a veteran scorer and rebounder to a team with Andre Miller, Samuel Dalembert, Willie Green and Andre Iguodala. They broke their bank by extending a contract to Brand worth almost $80 million, but it was worth it. Boston, Detroit and Cleveland will now have serious competition for the East crown.

Gilbert Arenas is set to re-sign with Washington by being the anti-Brand: He said he would return — and would be willing to take less money — if the Wizards re-inked teammate Antawn Jamison. The Wizards did what he asked, and in turn Arenas has said he will sign a deal Tuesday worth $111 million when he could have probably gotten close to $128 million. Arenas kept his word. The Wizards are still the Wizards, though — a middle-of-the-pack club that is solid on both ends but not exceptional in any one area save for Arenas’ scoring. And Arenas is nursing a sore knee, which will keep him off the basketball floor until at least August.

Special feature Who's available A look at the top NBA free agents on the market in 2008

The Lakers are over the salary cap. They had to pay $5 million in luxury taxes for last season, thanks in part to the trade that brought Pau Gasol to Los Angeles. So they’re only able to offer the mid-level exception to a free agent, roughly $6 million per season.

Yet rumors persist that the club is trying to wrest Ron Artest out of Sacramento. The most likely piece of trade bait: Lamar Odom, whose struggles in the recent NBA Finals received a lot of negative press. Reportedly the Kings would want the Lakers to take Kenny Thomas and the remaining $18 million on his contract on such a trade, and the Lakers seem unlikely to do that. If they could get Artest, they’d be getting a lunatic, but one who would bring some grit and defensive expertise to a team sorely in need of both.

And the Lakers will probably lose feisty forward Turiaf, a restricted free agent who signed a four-year, $17 million offer sheet with the Warriors. Turiaf is a valuable lunchpail reserve, but he isn’t worth that kind of money, and the Lakers won’t match because they don’t want to plunge deeper into luxury tax hell.

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