SportsBoner.com

One of the more anticipated NBA seasons full of excitement in recent memory will tip-off Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers trek out to defend their 2009 title. Lots of moves, trades, free agent signings bolster the top half-dozen teams setting the stage for a furious race for the O’Brien trophy, not to mention the bevy of marquee free agents available next summer guarantees that the game’s biggest stars will perform beyond great to ensure a fat new contract with whichever team signs them.

So if the Lakers are the incumbent King of the Hill, who has the best chance to knock them off? I really think (mentioned above) that only a few or so other teams have a legitimate chance to knock off the mighty Lakers. Giddy with provocation, I will try my best to temper the kid-on-Christmas-morning mentality and provide a somewhat objective preview of the upcoming blockbuster (knock on wood health permitting) NBA season.

We’ll start with the 2009 champs, who return virtually everyone from their banner team but swap swingman Trevor Ariza for the understated mercurial Ron Artest. Assuming Artest (shades of Dennis Rodman, so Phil Jackson shouldn’t have too much trouble reigning him in) fits seamlessly into the L.A. locker room, this team will have no trouble hoisting a repeat trophy come June. Important keys are Andrew Bynum staying healthy and out of foul trouble in games, Lamar Odom holding down that pivotal sixth man spot, Kobe Bryant staying fresh for the playoffs (amidst murmurs his minutes may be cut back), and getting Sasha Vujacic’s shot back (circa 2008). The team to beat period.

Next up, last year’s other NBA Finals participant, the Orlando Magic hope to get back to the Finals with the huge trade for Vince Carter but losing young riser Courtney Lee and Carter also now has to fill the scoring role left by the departure of Hedo Turkoglu. Turkoglu built a reputation for being a 4th quarter scorer in the clutch, something that in all honesty is somewhat for want on Vinsanity’s resume, so much will be left to be determined how far this Magic team can go. All in all, the return of Rashard Lewis from his 10 game suspension alongside Carter on the wings will create matchup problems for opponents this season. Important keys for this team will be the health (sustainment) of spark plug Jameer Nelson, the defensive proficiency of Mickael Pietrus and the support backup center Marcin Gortat can bring now that he’s been paid rather handsomely to play 10-15 minutes behind all-worlder Dwight Howard. The team to beat in the East in my ridiculous opinion.

The Cleveland Cavaliers certainly made a big splash signing Shaquille O’Neal to try and defend Dwight Howard who torched them inside last postseason. His age always a concern nowadays, if O’Neal can stay healthy/fresh for the playoffs, this season could finally be the season LeBron James gets a ring. Every season is a possibility for King James, but his supporting cast comes into play more than many would like to admit. Their depth is always a concern but the addition of Leon Powe will help the frontcourt who are woefully slow and not very athletic but boast some size in both O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The undersized backcourt of Mo Williams, Delonte West (legal problems aside) coupled with Daniel Gibson and Anthony Parker will need to be tenacious on defense to offset their height disadvantage against bigger guards. All the Cavaliers need is Lebron James to be a factor in the East, but the superstar will need help as always to sustain any hopes of a deep run.
Key points include Mo Williams not disappearing in the playoffs as he did last year, the bench to step up led by Daniel Gibson, Delonte West, Jamario Moon, and Leon Powe. A contender that will need to gel quickly to be elite.

On the docket, my beloved San Antonio Spurs who quite frankly don’t even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath in the top 5 teams but muscled their way into preseason rankings based on a very aggressive (by Spurs standards) offseason. By trading for SF Richard Jefferson, San Antonio has acquired a number 2 scorer on a good team/number 1 scorer on a bad team to be their number 3 scorer at best (behind Tim Duncan, Tony Parker), or number 4 scorer at worst (if Manu Ginobili makes a triumphant return from an injury riddled season) on a perennial contender. His solid defense combined with his outside shooting and ability to create his own shot will prove invaluable. He will find the corner 3 occupied by Bruce Bowen (retired) for so long will still be warm when teams sink in on Duncan to double team, or by the space created by Parker and Ginobili’s drives to basket. His highly regarded squeaky clean character meshes well with the Mickey Mouse club of the NBA. PF Antonio McDyess’s positive character and even more valuable work ethic will bring a much needed veteran big man alongside Tim Duncan to provide tough interior defense and rebounding. Keys that are always wild cards with the Spurs will be the health of Manu Ginobili in a contract year, the contributions of defensive young phenom George Hill, and the impact rookie DeJuan Blair (the proclaimed steal of the ‘09 draft) can have backing up the front court. This is a deep veteran team mixed with some nice youth in Hill, Blair, and Tony Parker who is still only 27. Seems like the moves point to an “all-in” attitude for coach Gregg Popavich and Tim Duncan who look to a 1-2 year window to win championships now.

The champions removed only 2 seasons now look to return to the Finals with a very huge question mark on the health of PF Kevin Garnett. If he is slow out of the gate, the signing of Rasheed Wallace will help temper the time needed to build team chemistry. The front court simply is sick with Garnett, Wallace, and Kendrick Perkins roaming the paint swatting shots and cleaning the glass. The depth of Shelden Williams and Glen Davis make for one of the toughest defenses in the league. The backcourt led by Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen figure to give opponents fits as Rondo continues to grow into a leader slashing his way to the hoop with Allen spreading defenses out through his threes. The addition of Marquis Daniels coupled with Eddie House rounds out their depth. The main key for this team will of course rest on Paul Pierce continuing to play at an elite level being the leader and all-around player taking on the most important defensive assignments and taking over the game late in the 4th quarter. This is also a grizzled veteran team led by a young point guard much like San Antonio, yet their interior defense may be the best in the league. Overall very balanced but not very deep, and their prospects rest on the complete health of Kevin Garnett.

Some other teams who could conceivably make some noise are the Dallas Mavericks who are much deeper with the additions of Shawn Marion, Drew Gooden, and Tim Thomas. The Portland Trailblazers just locked up their young core in exercising their contracts, but still need Greg Oden to play like the number one pick, while continue to develop this very young team. The Denver Nuggets are always a threat given their style of play, but will need better leadership/coaching in the playoffs and some immediate contribution from draft pick Ty Lawson to a team that did not make a major move in the offseason. Winning usually isn’t embedded in Atlanta Hawks culture, but the last 2 seasons have proven that after years of lottery picks, the youngsters have grown into playoff contenders. Their athleticism makes them a threat in any playoff series, unfortunately lack of elite leadership and discipline could do them in if Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby cannot set a good example for this relatively young but explosive team. If Josh Smith and Marvin Williams could finally tap their potential beyond their current ceiling, this team is a live dog to reach the Finals. The baby Bulls of Chicago who took the Celtics to the brink last season could make a repeat performance and beyond possible contingent on the growth of PG Derrick Rose, the return to health of Luol Deng to fill in the void left by Ben Gordon. Tyrus Thomas’s move to PF to take advantage of his insane athleticism could blow up or pay off depending on how consistent can he play night in and night out.

Ultimately, however the competition up top is too tight with the right mixture of experience and talent, that the upstarts will find it hard to advance past the first round. The Lakers, Magic, Cavaliers, Spurs and Celtics in my unqualified opinion represent the cream of the crop given the depth, talent and superstar leading the team. Of course anything can happen over the course of the season, but I fully expect the aforementioned to dominate their division, and conference on the road to the Finals.