Q: Has Luke Walton fallen off the face of the earth or did the San Andreas Fault open up and swallow him? He rarely plays, but certainly has trade value around the league, doesn't he? What are the Lakers up to?
— Scott Lockwood, Altoona, Iowa.

A: The only thing the Lakers are up to, save for Tuesday's loss in Indiana, is league domination.

Basically, Luke missed most of camp because he was recovering from ankle surgery. At the same time, Vladimir Radmanovic and Trevor Ariza were putting together strong training camps. And both, of course, play Luke's position.

In addition, with the continued emergence of Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar, Kobe Bryant has been playing a bunch of small forward.

Then there's the move of Lamar Odom to the second unit, and his ability to play multiple positions.

No, there's no conspiracy here. Walton still has a big fan in Phil Jackson.

But this is about more than who you like. This is about what works. And, right now, what is working for the Lakers is having Walton as the odd man out.

As for trade possibilities, Walton has a contract that runs through the 2011-12 season. And while it tops out at a mere $5.7 million, teams simply aren't looking to take on anything beyond 2010. As for the short term, Walton is still considered a base-year compensation player, making him difficult to deal, and also has a trade kicker in his contract.

Q: What will it take for the Cavaliers to wake up and build a team around LeBron James? Or should LeBron take a lesson from Michael Jordan and take a pay cut to help the team?
— Marcus L. Martin, Columbus, Ohio

Special feature Are you a witness? A look at the highs and lows of Cavaliers guard LeBron James' career. NBCSports.com

A: As LeBron said during his recent media session in New York, he's not taking a penny less than the max, be it in Cleveland or elsewhere.

Unlike in other sports, the NBA has a maximum salary, and it's an ego thing to be a max-player, not a near-max player.

Jordan took less at a time when there was no limitation, so, in essence, he could say he was taking less no matter how much he took.

As it is, Cleveland has made every effort to build around LeBron and has barely given the luxury tax a second thought since Dan Gilbert arrived.

Even with the Cavaliers' payroll currently at $90 million, which puts them $20 million into the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax, they almost certainly can be expected to get in even deeper with a trading-deadline move involving Wally Szczerbiak's expiring contract.

You can question Danny Ferry's moves if you choose, but the Cavaliers haven't been shy when it has come to high finance. If LeBron wants someone, the Cavaliers will get that someone.

Q: Has there been any worse series of blunders by a team than those made by Minnesota? First, there was the Brandon Roy trade for Randy Foye. Then there was Kevin Garnett ordeal. And now, before this season, they traded O.J. Mayo for Kevin Love. Who’s to blame, the GM or the owner?
— Anonymous

A: Considering the owner, Glen Taylor, has stayed so long with the general manager, Kevin McHale, the blame is equal.

At the end of the day, both deserve far more criticism than the coaches they've conspired to oust, namely Flip Saunders and Dwane Casey.

The Garnett trade essentially was the byproduct of previous failed moves. Garnett essentially had had enough; management knew it no longer could inspire him to persevere through more reloading.

In fact, of the options the Timberwolves had available, there is something to be said in having landed Al Jefferson, who appears to be on an All-Star track.

And while Mayo appears to have a lot more going for him than Love at this point, McHale deserves credit for landing Mike Miller in that trade.

But, yes, the Roy trade was a blunder. But so was re-upping Sebastian Telfair, when it was clear more was needed at point guard.

To his credit, McHale has also gotten out of some bad deals, farming away the likes of Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Antoine Walker and Marko Jaric. Of course, he's the one who brought them in in the first place.

Yet you look at the Timberwolves' roster, and is there any thing there? Corey Brewer certainly proved to be a questionable selection, now set back another season by his injury. Rashad McCants has been little more than a headache. Then there are Craig Smith, Ryan Gomes and Brian Cardinal, who we're quite sure aren't the same person.

On one hand, Taylor sabotaged the 'Wolves with his blunder with Joe Smith. On the other hand, outside of Garnett, it hasn't gotten better than Smith for years.

MORE FROM NBA

NBA Section Front

Celtics sink Knicks on Garnett’s buzzer-beater Carter, Howard power Magic to fifth straight win With strong class, point guard is back Live updates on Sunday's NBA games   Vote: Will Nets set mark for worst start to season? Opinion: So far, Nowitzki is the league’s MVP Fan ranker: Who will be MVP of the NBA? Live odds Matchups/injuries Latest NBA videos NBA Section Front   Add NBA headlines to your news reader: