This is what I see going into training camp, which begins next week...

1. San Antonio:  The Spurs are ranked number one because of one man, Robert Horry, who says Bill Russell better watch out 'cause he's not even close to AARP.

2. Boston: Amazing how all of a sudden we believe that KG and Allen are championship material.

3. Phoenix:  The San Diego Chargers of the NBA. All Offense, mediocre defense, and not enough coaching - perfect for the regular season. If only Westhead could coach this squad then maybe they can win it all like the Mercury.

4. Miami: Maybe the Diesel can finally be in shape now that his personal trainer seems to be spending more time personally training Shaunie than Shaq.

5. Cleveland: The Cavs are ranked in the top five only because of one man, Lebron James.

6. Dallas: They choked two years in a row then kept the same team. Time to see how good of a coach Avery Johnson really is.

7. Detroit: The Atlanta Braves of the NBA. Somehow, some way, they are always contending but in one way or another always comes up short.

8. L.A. Lakers: The dying question remains. Who will be Kobe's Pippen? Maybe Scottie will come back and give Kobe the real thing.

9. Chicago: Will they or will they not make a trade? Probably not til the February deadline when they will be 10 games out of first place.

10. Houston: Something is telling me that the additions of Aaron Brooks and Steve Francis are going to bring huge things this year. Stay tuned...

11. Denver: A full season of AI and Melo makes Denver a sleeper to grab the either the fourth of fifth spot in the West, but in the last three years got rid of Andre Miller, Earl Boykins, and Steve Blake which makes me wonder what they are thinking.

12. Toronto: They are expected to make the playoffs again, and after adding a few key role players they look better on paper than last year.

13. New York: The addition of Zach Randolph is huge for Gotham. Expect Isiah Thomas to make a move of significance before the trade deadline to catapult the Knicks to a possible playoff berth.

14. Golden State: Last season's playoff frenzy was not an aberration. The Warriors are really that good and that exciting. The only problem is that they stink in the regular season.

15. New Jersey: Even if they manage to keep Jason Kidd the entire season, the Nets will most likely be ousted in the first round. Especially if Clifford Robinson is still on the roster.

16. Washington: The song remains the same in D.C. You have Arenas, Jamison, Butler, and that's about it. Guys like Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood give you almost 14 feet of absolutely nothing.

17. Memphis: I can't rave enough about Mike Conley Jr., who is my pick for ROY. He has too many weapons in Rudy, Pau, Mike, and Hakim for him not to blossom into one of the game's best PG's.

18. New Orleans: Playing for Team USA this summer can only benefit Tyson Chandler, who will be an even better player this year. A healthy Peja may also gives fans in New Orleans something to look forward to. A birth as an 8-seed is likely.

19. Orlando: Even with the addition of Rashard Lewis, I am still not convinced that the Magic are a playoff team. How many times has Lewis been to the postseason? I thought so.

20. Indiana: Still longing for the days of Detlef Schrempf, Chuck Person, Reggie Miller, and Haywoode Workman when the playoffs were a regular occurrence. At least they have the Colts.

21. Utah: After the season begins and ends in disappointment, Jazz fans will be wondering if Derek Fisher was really the difference maker.

22. Charlotte: Trio of Morrison, Richardson, and Wallace will take time to mesh. But this year will be a start.

23. Sacramento: Nothing has changed and nothing will change. Kind of like the city itself.

24. Portland: The Sam Bowie comparisons have already begun, but I'll tell you this... Oden is no Bowie. We just have to wait til next year. For now we'll just watch Brandon Roy average about 25 per.

25. Milwaukee: I really wonder why they haven't been competitive since Brad Lohaus was in town.

26. Philadelphia:  The Eagles and the Phillies of the NBA, which means there is nothing to cheer for in the Land of Brotherly Love.

27. Seattle: The only thing to expect this year is a ton of points from Kevin Durant. Besides that, it's still Ichiro's town.

28. Minnesota: I bet this year GM Kevin McHale roots for the Celtics more than he does the T-Wolves.

29. Atlanta:  They picked up Tyronne Lue, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and Shelden Williams hoping they would be the next Doc Rivers, Dominique Wikins,  Antoine Carr, and Kevin Willis. What they got instead was the next John Battle, John Koncak, Alexander Volkov, and Tree Rollins.

30. L.A. Clippers: It must really hurt to be former NBA champion Sam Cassell right about now. It's equivalent to taking a champion like David Beckham and making him play for the L.A. Galaxy. Ouch.

With training camp and preseason just around the corner, I have officially made my first blog of the new basketball season (without any Laker homerism of course).

What are your thoughts? What are your opinions? What are your comments? Feel free to fire at will.