Pacific Division

The Los Angeles Clippers (3) built on their impressive playoff run with a strong off season.  The addition of Tim Thomas added to an already stellar bench, and extending Chris Caveman to a long term deal was another shrewd move.  But the key to the Clippers' future hinges on Sam Cassell's ability to lead and contribute while grooming Shaun Livingston to take over.  The Phoenix Suns (4) have become league wide darlings, but they lost a huge x-factor in Tim Thomas who fit their scheme perfectly on both ends of the floor.  Amare Stoudemire is not fully recovered from his knee injury, and it will be interesting to see what approach the organization takes to getting him back on the court in what is now year two of rehab.  The Los Angeles Lakers (5) will stay in the western playoff picture so long as Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant can coexist.  The Sacramento Kings (11) took a shortcut back to contending through last season's sage acquisition of Ron Artest.  But the same volatility that makes Artest such a disruptive force on the court rips apart franchises behind the scenes.  Coach Don Nelson is back in control of the Golden State Warriors (12) and is sure to pick up where he left off, meaning fans in Oakland can look forward to a string of first round playoff exits very soon.  Starting Troy Murphy at center and Mike Dunleavy at power forward is the latest in a long line of "what were they thinking" type decisions that this franchise always seems to make.

Southwest Division 

The San Antonio Spurs (1) are likely to regain their standing as the class of the Western Conference, so long as Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili can get some early season rest and recuperate from their off-season work at the World Championships.  The Dallas Mavericks (2) have the quickest backcourt in basketball, which should alleviate some of the pressure off Dirk Nowitski to carry as much of a regular season load as he did last year.  The Houston Rockets (6) have surrounded Coach Jeff Van Gundy with the most talent he has had during his tenure with the club.  The New Orleans Hornets (10) have the best young point guard in the league and not much else.  Pau Gasol's broken foot is as crippling to the Memphis Grizzlies' (13) playoff chances as it is to the grande bearded one himself.

Awards

MVP:  LeBron James is a lock for this award but keep your eyes on Clippers forward Elton Brand, who silently does more for his team night in and night out than any other player in the league.

Rookie of the Year:  The Land of 10,000 Lakes moniker might as well be changed to The Land of 10,000 Mistakes to describe Kevin McHale's tenure as GM in Minnesota.  But there is no chance that drafting Randy Foye will be remembered as one of them.  Foye will go through some shooting slumps, but emerge as a late game assassin in the mold of a more physical Ben Gordon.

Coach of the Year:  Lawrence Frank is entering his fourth season with the Nets, and deserves some credit for juggling two of the league's biggest prima donnas (Jason Kidd and Vince Carter) and winning with a frontcourt that that is thinner than his hair.      

Breakthrough Star:  In a league where all the hyperbole goes to a guy named LeBron, Clippers youngster Shaun Livingston has the potential to play offense like Magic Johnson and defense like Scottie Pippen.   If the lanky playmaker can overcome an ugly injury history, expect to hear Livingston listed with James, Wade, Paul, and Anthony as the future of the NBA.    

Highlight Hijackers:  Chicago rookie Tyrus Thomas is going to send you to YouTube once or twice a month to see that block or dunk that all the guys at the gym were talking about.  Orlando forward Dwight Howard is going to post a game or two that leaves you convinced the stat sheet is full of typos (>30 points and >20 rebounds).  And once fully recovered from knee surgery Amare Stoudimire will flash reminders that two-time MVP Steve Nash is the Suns second best player.

Most Improved Player:  Expect Milwaukee to overcome early injury trouble and sneak in to the playoffs, largely due to the near All-Star star play of unheralded point guard Maurice Williams.