The NBA offseason is when hope springs eternal. But with more than four months between the Boston Celtics returning to the top of the mountain as NBA champions and tipoff of the next climb to seize the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the offseason can also just … feel eternal.That’s one reason why so many fans get so psyched for the annual release of the NBA schedule. Beyond the specific national-TV-and-travel-related elements to analyze (and, invariably, rant and rave about), it also affords us the chance to sketch out some notes for a new group of storylines that we’re looking forward to following.We finally know when each new draft pick will begin his ascent to stardom, when that premier free-agent signing or trade acquisition will begin fitting in precisely as the front office imagined, and when the 29 teams that didn’t hoist the trophy will get the chance to reframe last season’s heartbreak into a necessary stumble on the road to better things. It’s the first step toward turning everything...
