Key Reserves: G: Leandro Barbosa, F: Boris Diaw, F: Alando Tucker (R)

Analysis: The Suns have started off this season with a few questions surrounding them. Shawn Marion is unhappy with his situation in Phoenix and would like to be traded, and Amare Stoudamire recently had minor knee surgery. While neither situation is very serious and should be resolved by the time the season starts it isn't exactly the tone that the Suns would like set early. The off-season acquisition of Grant Hill should give Phoenix another reliable scorer and defender who will allow Phoenix to spread their offense even more. This is, of course, if Hill can stay healthy. Then again, that's like saying Pacman Jones would be a great football player if he could stay out of trouble. Both events are capable of happening, they just never seem to. Pacman feels the need to "make it rain" every weekend and bite bouncers' ankles. And speaking of ankles, Hill apparently is able to injure his by walking on it. Aside from Grant Hill the Suns are the same team as last year, which makes Hill's health and production the "X" factor for the Suns this year, and the key to their championship aspirations.

Key Reserves: G: Eddie Jones, G/F: Jerry Stackhouse, C: DeSagana Diop

Analysis: The Mavericks, probably more than any other team, have been looking forward to the start of the season. Once again, for our non-sports fans and cave dwellers, the Mavericks entered last year's post-season with the league's best record (67-15), and it's Most Valuable Player (Dirk Nowitzki). What transpired next was a devastating 4-2 series defeat at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. The Mavericks became the first #1 seed in league history to lose a seven game series to a #8 seed. As far as bad tastes go, I can't imagine a much worse one than Head Coach, Avery Johnson and the Mavericks must have. Luckily for them the season is almost upon us and everyone has a clean slate. The Mavericks return their usual cast of characters but have also added veteran guard Eddie Jones who should, at this point in his career, be more of a defensive presence. They also drafted former Nevada Wolfpack forward, and three time WAC Player of the Year, Nick Fazekas. Many have compared the 6'11 Fazekas' game to that of fellow Maverick, Dick Nowitzki. The question mark for Fazekas is whether he has the physicality to play in the NBA. The question for the Mavericks this year is can they figure out what has gone wrong for them in the playoffs the past two seasons and fix it. If they can't, it wouldn't be surprising to see owner Mark Cuban become the first owner to attack a referee. I'm actually kind of hoping this happens

Key Reserves: G: Mike James, G/F: Bonzi Wells, C: Dikembe Mutombo

Analysis: Many of you may think this is a little high for the Rockets who have done nothing special besides a handful of playoff births in the last decade. However, I think this team is poised to do some big things and could surprise a few teams. The biggest question for Houston is can Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming remain healthy. On top of that, can they stay healthy at the same time. If they can do this then they could pose some serious match-up problems for a team like Dallas. Houston has the complete package on offense. They have a quick, talented point guard in Steve Francis who should regain some of his old form by returning to the team he once starred for. Tracy McGrady remains one of the best perimeter players in the league and his scoring ability and knack for taking over a game is still among the leagues best. They have a solid inside presence in Yao Ming who was enjoying his best professional season last year until injuries cut it short. Luis Scola is somewhat of a question mark but if he can play in the NBA like he has in Argentina then he will seriously help this team. And who can forger Mr. Battier (and the way Dickie V used to say it "Mr. Bat-E-A and the Dukies baby!") on the outside, providing the perfect complement to Yao's post up and McGrady's penetration. On paper, heading into this season, I think Houston can shock a few people and possibly make the Western Conference Finals if they get some favorable match-ups.

Key Reserves: G: Ronnie Brewer, F: Matt Harpring, F: P. Millsap

Analysis: The Jazz made the Western Conference Finals last season, to the surprise of everyone on the planet. Granted, they got the privilege of playing a #8 seed in the 2nd round thanks to the collapse of the Mavs. Even still I think the Jazz will be an even better team this season as some of their young players start to improve. Deron Williams looks like the real deal and is definitely one of the best young point guards in the game. Kirilenko has apparently retracted his trade request and is committed to playing for the Jazz. If he can expand his role and become more of an offensive threat it would really help the Jazz take the next step as a team. Carlos Boozer proved in last years playoffs that he is probably the league's best big man no one's ever heard of. That honor used to belong to Elton Brand but he played his way out of it. Along with former Pistons castoff Mehmet Okur, Utah has one of the best front courts in basketball. Backups Ronnie Brewer and Morris Almond should also contribute decent minutes and production this season off the bench. Matt Harpring's role could also be expanded depending on how well Andrei Kirilenko gets along with coach Jerry Sloan this season. All in all I don't think the Jazz have the fire power to make the finals but they definitely have the tools to have a 50 win season

Key Reserves: G: Eddie House, F: James Posey, C: Scott Pollard

Analysis: Ah the Boston Celtics. Where do I begin? I guess GM Danny Ainge realized that if he didn't do something soon he was going to lose his job so he went all-in on two blockbuster trades. I mean, can you really blame him? The Celtics were stuck going nowhere and couldn't even make the playoffs in the terrible Eastern Conference. Granted in executing these trades he effectively compromised the Celtics future but I'm sure the prospect of a championship made it a little easier to tell himself that he'll "worry about that later." With the recent, immense success of the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots, the Celtics have kind of been the runt of the pack. Even now, the Red Sox are in the ALCS and the Patriots are looking unstoppable and each team has a plethora of stars. The Red Sox have Manny, Ortiz, Beckett, Schilling etc. The Patriots have Brady, Moss, Seymour and Bruschi among others. Until this off-season the Celtics just had Paul Pierce. Now they can boast three of the games best players in Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. No team in the Eastern Conference has that kind of fire power. Add to that young point guard Rajon Rondo and a cast of role players (Eddie House, James Posey, Scott Pollard) along with some rookies with potential (USC's Gabe Pruitt and LSU's Glen Davis) and the Celtics are the best in the East on paper. The question mark for this team is will coach Doc Rivers be able to stay out of his own way and allow the Celtics to reach their potential. My guess is probably not and if the Celtics don't make at least the conference finals then this will be Doc's last season in Boston.

Key Reserves: G: Chucky Atkins, F: Kenyon Martin, C: Steven Hunter

Analysis: The Nuggets are an intriguing team heading into this season. On paper they are an explosive team that can run and score with any team in the league. The Allen Iverson trade, in my opinion, was a very good decision for the Nuggets. In 50 games with the Nuggets last season, Iverson averaged a modest 24.8 ppg, his lowest total in eight years. However, don't let that fool you into thinking that Iverson's game is decaying. The reason for this drop off is due solely to the fact that he is now surrounded by teammates who can score themselves. This is why Denver is a great fit for Iverson, especially later in his career. The Denver offense should only be more explosive this year as Kenyon Martin returns from another season ending injury. Normally I'm not a fan of K-Mart who has long been one of the NBA's most overrated players. With the emergence of Nene Hilario last season and with Marcus Camby continuing to play at a high level it should allow K-Mart to come off the bench where he could provide a boost of energy and be most effective. I'm also very interested in watching the development of J.R. Smith who looked great during a few stretches of last season. Most of all I'm just excited to watch Iverson continue to be the best pound for pound scorer in NBA history. He's one of a handful of players that if you're flipping through the channels at night and you see him you should stop and watch. We won't see another player like Iverson again.

Key Reserves: G: Daniel Gibson, F: Donyell Marshall, F: Anderson Varejao

Analysis: It was hard for me to put the Cavs this high on my list but it just doesn't seem right to drop the defending Eastern Conference Champions to lower than 2nd in the East after an off-season that saw them retain every significant player from last season. As has been the case since he came into the league, LeBron James will be counted on to carry the Cavs this season. I can't see Cleveland repeating their success of last year this season due to the increasing number of Eastern Conference teams that are regaining respectability. One other thing to consider is this: Can you imagine how bad this team would be if LeBron were to go down? I mean, it would be amazing to see who would actually shoot the ball. Then again Bron could take a cue from David Robinson and miss a season due to injury, grab the first pick in the draft and then win a couple championships. Then again, all the recent talk about LeBron always being a Yankee fan during the Indians-Yankees ALDS only provides more fuel to the rumors that he'll bolt for New York and likely the highest contract ever in 4 years (assuming Isiah has any money left). But until then he'll remain in Cleveland where GM Danny Ferry remains unable to get him any help. I mean, anyone who thinks Larry Hughes is going to play more than 60 games this year is stretching it. And if anyone thinks Hughes will actually play well enough to take some pressure of James then you are, I guess, optimistic would be the best word. I'm most excited to see if Daniel Gibson can crack the starting lineup and set the record for three pointers made and attempted this year off LeBron James kick-outs (especially in the fourth quarter with the game on the line, that seems to be LeBron's favorite time to pass...and don't gimme the whole, he's double teamed thing, so was Jordan for all those years...and don't gimme the whole, Jordan hit Paxon and Kerr to win titles thing either, when the game was on the line, Jordan took the shot, period...but I digress).

Key Reserves: G: Chris Duhon, F: Andres Nocioni, F: Joakim Noah (R)

Analysis: The Chicago Bulls are loaded with talent and are poised to make a run at being the best team in the East. Now, if that was the only sentence you read, could you tell if that was 2005, 2006 or 2007?? Of course not. That is the reason I have the Bulls down at number nine. Each season, their roster appears to be as complete as any team in the East's and yet they just can't seem to get everything together and achieve their potential. I expect the Bulls to be better this year as their young roster matures a bit and they get even more accustomed to playing with each other. The "X" factors for the Bulls will be their two young power forwards, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. Thomas, as anyone who watched him play at LSU knows, has all the talent in the world and could be a big time player in this league. He struggled last season as a rookie, playing only 13 minutes a game and seemed to dissappear at times among the Bulls other stars. If he can step up and start playing like the aggressive, athletic forward he was in college. that will give the Bulls a huge leg up on the competition. Regardless of how Thomas plays, the Bulls are also going to rely on Joakim Noah to provide them with energy, hustle, rebounding and defense off the bench. Noah, who is all of 6'11 can sub at both PF and C and give the Bulls his trademark intensity. It's been a few years now since the Bulls completely overhauled their roster and became the "Baby Bulls" with the likes of Hinrich, Gordon and Deng. However, even now as the original babies have started to mature, the Bulls have added a new batch in Thomas and Noah. And don't forget about Chris Duhon who is only 25 and Thabo Sefolosha who is only 23. One last player to watch out for is 3rd string center, and rookie, Aaron Gray out of Pittsburgh. Gray is a talented 7 footer who will probably need a year or two to get his feet wet but I think he could develop into a good NBA center. So while the Bulls look to improve this season and make the Conference Finals for the first time since MJ, the future in Chicago looks even brighter.

Key Reserves: G: Monta Ellis, G/F: Mickael Pietrus, F: Brandon Wright (R)

Analysis: The Warriors come into this season with somewhat of a bullseye on their backs. After what they did to Dallas in the first round of the playoffs last season, no team is going to underestimate this group. What the Warriors proved last season was that they can run, score, and feed off the energy that not only they create, but their fans create. They also proved that they are a completely different team with a healthy Baron Davis running the show. Davis had to be the league's most forgotten superstar before last years playoffs. After torching the league his first few seasons as a Hornet, Davis was hit with nagging injuries that had kept him from being the player he was. The biggest change this season for Golden State is suiting up every night without, arguably, their best player over the past few seasons, Jason Richardson. By dealing him, however, the Warriors were able to acquire talented young big man Brandon Wright who should help the Warriors address their front court depth issues. Their back court, as long as Monta Ellis can recover from the terrible back injury, should be fine. A sleeper here could be Marco Belinelli who is a personal favorite of mine and a pure scorer. I think we'll see him make the most of his minutes this season. And lets face it, the Warriors are no longer going to have the luxory of being the underdog this year, so it'll be interesting to see how Nellie and the gang can respond to that.