1. Los Angeles Lakers: Since Kobe hasn’t had a lot of rest during the summer, I’m wondering if Phil Jackson keeps something like that in account. The good thing is now that Andrew Bynum is back, the Lakers really have a complete team. I’m not too sure if Odom coming off the bench is a great idea, and I would like to see who will be the starting small forward on opening night. Will Phil start Radmanovic, or the athletic but injury-prone Trevor Ariza? Whoever it is, it might not matter too much, because Kobe, Pau, Mountain Drew and Fisher are back this season for one thing: winning the championship. Jackson’s tenth, doesn’t that sound nice?2. Phoenix Suns: New coach, some new faces, same great passer. With Terry Porter on the sidelines you will see a new playing style in Phoenix. Oh yes, they might still run because Steve Nash is your point guard, but Porter also preaches defense, and Shaq is probably better suited in the half-court game anyway. Shaq however, is a pretty good passer himself, so it’s nice he can dish it to Goggles Stoudemire or back to Nash, who is still a dead-eye shooter. The Suns also had a very nice pick-up in Matt Barnes. When he actually was in the rotation at Golden State in his previous two seasons (and with Nellie you never know what to expect), Barnes showed that he could do a little bit of everything, whether it was getting some steals, shooting the 3 or slashing to the hole. It wouldn’t surprise me if he became the team’s full-time starter with Grant Hill coming off the bench. Another season, another roster full of good players, but Finals material? I wouldn’t mind seeing them getting there, because of Nash, Hill and Shaq, but it will be tough.
3. Los Angeles Clippers: I really like the Clippers’ depth. They’ll need it, because with new stars Baron Davis and Marcus Camby you never know how many games they might miss because of injuries. Then again, if they do manage to stay healthy, and with Kaman and Thornton as the other starters, I like their chances. They drafted shooting guard Eric Gordon, and also still have veteran combo guard Cuttino Mobley on the roster, and added Ricky ‘Buckets’ Davis, so there are plenty of shooters on the team. Health will determine if this Clipper team will get back to the playoffs, or back to an early vacation once again.
4. Golden State Warriors: When will Monta Ellis exactly come back? And when he does, at what state? And who will be the point guard during this period of at least 30 games? All we know is that Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette have the green light to shoot, and to shoot a lot. But who will score from the inside? Biedrins is a great defender, but not known for his extensive collection of post moves, and Al Harrington can score, but rather does it from outside of the painted area. So on some night when the ball just doesn’t want to go in, good teams can rely on their defense. The Warriors? They just have to rely on the fact that none of their players will ride mopeds for the rest of their contracts.
5. Sacramento Kings: At least they have Kevin Martin.
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