COAST TO COAST

With this season’s extraordinary player movement, here’s how everyone did:

Mitch Kupchak, Lakers -- Going from last summer’s disarray to where they are ranks with that week in 1996 when Jerry West got Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

With the rise of Andrew Bynum, the high school kid the Lakers drafted in 2005 -- the move most responsible for bringing them back from the edge of the abyss -- Kupchak stacked their riches to the sky when he hit the lottery and got Pau Gasol.

The takers and the ones who got took

Wizard

Now with Bryant back on board, they’re the Lakers again.

Wizard’s apprentices

Danny Ferry, Cleveland -- With LeBron James giving off distress signals, Ferry landed Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and Joe Smith.

That’s two shooters, one defender and a useful big man for goofy Drew Gooden, $12 million-a-year bust Larry Hughes and unproven Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons.

How was that possible? See the end of this list.

Billy Knight, Atlanta -- After passing up Chris Paul and Deron Williams, getting Mike Bibby for expiring contracts ends a l-o-n-g slump.

Well, it’s something

R.C. Buford, San Antonio -- The lone West power not to be panicked into a big move by the Gasol trade settled for acquiring Kurt Thomas cheap.

However, Thomas is 35 and like all the old West elite teams, the Spurs are suddenly running out of time.

Daryl Morey, Houston -- Got Bobby Jackson from New Orleans even if he’s not what he was.

Jeff Bowers, New Orleans -- Got Bonzi Wells from Houston even if he’s not what he was.

Fun while it lasted

Geoff Petrie, Sacramento -- Obliged to trade Bibby, got useful Ty Lue plus Shelden Williams, who shouldn’t have been picked ahead of Brandon Roy but could be OK.

Rod Thorn, New Jersey -- Obliged to trade Jason Kidd, landed Devin Harris after being turned down for weeks.

Pat Riley, Miami -- Got what’s left of his franchise out from under the last two years of O’Neal’s deal. Of course, Riley gave him that deal.

The year or two, tops, of living dangerously

Steve Kerr, Phoenix -- Getting O’Neal shocked the world but might work.

The problem is, it has to work well enough to win a title soon or they’re history.

Mark Cuban, Dallas -- The owner made the trade he didn’t like after explaining at length why he wouldn’t break up last season’s 67-15 team . . . four days before he did.

Like O’Neal, Kidd will help but has to help a lot.

En hielo

John Paxson, Chicago -- That’s Spanish for on ice, as opposed to Dan Patrick’s en fuego.

Paxson started with a rising young team, missed out on Bryant, lost coach Scott Skiles, whom they molded their roster around, and is now the one with a team in disarray.

The carpetbaggers

Michael Heisley, Memphis -- The Grizzlies owner better find a buyer soon because giving Gasol to the Lakers didn’t endear him to anyone except David Stern.

Clay Bennett, Seattle -- The SuperSonics owner, who could have signed Rashard Lewis and kept Ray Allen alongside Kevin Durant, just handed out most of the veterans he had left.

Let’s see if they finish the season in the NBA or the D-League.

-- Mark Heisler