Pacific Division

1. LOS ANGELES LAKERS — The defending champs are as strong as they were last season. The only serious roster change was the loss of Trevor Ariza, but the Lakers picked up Ron Artest to replace him. The Lakers’ frontcourt is scary; Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Artest make for a great defensive combination. At point guard, the Lakers were exposed as too slow, but the improvement of Shannon Brown should help that area. With Kobe Bryant leading the way, the team is a big favorite to win the West.

2. PHOENIX SUNS — With Amar’e Stoudemire back, the Suns will be a force in the West again. He is a monster in the paint on both ends of the floor. This may be the last season to take advantage of Steve Nash’s incredible talent before his age really brings him down. With Grant Hill actually stringing a few healthy seasons together and Jason Richardson being a 3-point machine, the Suns should be back to the playoffs; just don’t expect a deep run.

3. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS — With several new additions this season, I expect the Clippers to be in contention for a postseason berth. Blake Griffin will be a Rookie of the Year favorite and he makes this franchise’s future somewhat bright. Baron Davis should have a great year and the addition of Rasual Butler and his 3-point talent gives the team more depth. The team has potential so let’s see how far it takes them.

4. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS — Since the team’s amazing upset over Dallas in the 2007 playoffs, the team hasn’t had much success. Veteran Corey Maggette and rookie Stephen Curry may provide the lineup with some decent results. A decent backcourt of Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright and Ronny Turiaf among others gives the Warriors decent size. The biggest question mark for this team is how they gel as a team. If Don Nelson can get the team working together, then they may finish higher in the division.

5. SACRAMENTO KINGS — So, another rough season is in store for this franchise. They have a bunch of young guys that should have nice individual seasons. Rookie Tyreke Evans has a lot of potential, and Spencer Hawes is in store for a good sophomore year. Kevin Martin brings a huge offensive game every night, but he just doesn’t have the pieces around him to see the Kings succeed at all.