Lakers get stronger but so does the League – NBA Preview

If there is an empire in the NBA over the past decade it’s the LA Lakers. Already with six appearances in nine years and four titles, the Lake Show is as close to dominant as you can get without wearing pinstripes. And much like their mirror image from MLB the Empire has gotten stronger, with the addition of Ron Artest, LA finally has some ‘stank’ to go with all of that fineness. However it’s not going to be easy for them as the rest of the league, particularly at the top, has gotten better as well. The Cavs have added the Diesel, Boston adds to its age (and championship experience) with Sheed, out West the Spurs get a much need spark in the paint in Richard Jefferson, and should be in jail for stealing Blair out of the draft, as he could be the Charles Barkley of the next decade. Don’t forget the defending Eastern Conference Champs that added Vincanity to a very well balanced lineup. So the trip back up the mountain will not be easy for LA, and some say they’re not going to repeat the feat of the “Combo Dynasty” of early Zeros, particularly because of the strength out of the East. It’s clear that we’ve seen a shift in the balance of power over the past five years as early on in the decade 4 of the top 5 teams played in the Pacific time zone, now it’s the reciprocal as the powerhouses are on the right coast which bodes the question: will the winner of the East have anything left to take on LA if they get there? Can Boston stay healthy enough to make it through 82 games? Will Shaq and LBJ run into the same problems as Shaq/Kobe? How much has Vince’s skills diminished, and can he take the Magic to the next level? Will Tracy ever complete a playoff season where the Rockets win a series? All good questions that will be answered over the next six months. Let us know your thoughts here and in the chat rooms as we have a chat room for every game on the schedule.