Remember when the Los Angeles Lakers were on a fast track to a cliff last year? You know, when the trade deadline was coming and rumors were so rampant for ten days, it could have been a reality show. The locker room was basically divided by then and it was the beginning of an embarrassing six-month period. This year is entirely different. The team is very close, it’s very quiet on the trade front (It’s quiet on the front office end!) and the Lakers have already passed the win total of last year and it’s not even the All-Star break yet.