Houston with have high expectations in the coming years. Dwight Howard wil have to keep up and prove he can win a championship. Choosing the Rockets was a very good decision for Howard. Houston was the spot for him basketball wise and the pressure will not be as high as playing in L.A. Speaking of the L.A., this upcoming season, I don't believe they'll make the playoffs. The weak West teams are now average teams. Despite the bench improvements, the starting lineup will be old. This should be Nash's last season because he will turn 40 next year and I doubt he will be able to go through the physical grind of another NBA season as a starter. As for Kobe, clearly there are some disagreements lingering around him and management. Kobe wants that championship now and management wants to go a different way. But next year's free agency will be interesting. Analysts and fans have been going back and forth about the Lakers picking up Carmelo and LeBron. Their chances are pretty low on getting them.

Andrew Bynum to the Cavs. The Cavs are obviously looking desperate for a playoff appearance or maybe luring LBJ back to Cleveland. They got Bynum for a low risk-high reward price. Honestly, I don't like Bynum, the signing was okay, but Bynum doesn't show commitment, he's lazy, and with Mike Brown there (Remember Bynum and Brown at the Lakers, and the three Bynum took?), I'm not sure how that will work out. But regardless, the Cavs already have a decent frontcourt so Bynum doesn't work out as planned, there's Varajao and Thompson, plus Anthony Bennett (their first round draft pick). There has been various amounts of topics regarding LBJ next offseason and free agency. I think LeBron might look for different options if the Heat don't win a championship. I just think that the Cav's supporting cast will be better than Miami's supporting cast in the coming years. Wade is aging and Bosh is inconsistent, LBJ would make the Cavs much much better since they're still a fairly young team. And I think LBJ and Irving would make a great duo.

Nets made some nice moves this offseason, grabbing KG, Truth, and JT. That instantly put them in contention for the title. They also picked AK47 who would be a great addition for the bench. I think they need to watch KG's and Pierce's minutes, they shouldn't wear them out too much.

The BEST in the WEST:
1a. Thunder 1b. Spurs 3. Clippers
The EXCELLENT EAST
1. Heat 2. Pacers 3. Nets

My early playoffs prediction based off of roster:

West

1. Thunder- Westbrook will come back ready. Although the lost of Kmart is big but that means Jeremy Lamb will be in the lineup and JLamb's play style is identical to Kmart's. Lamb has good potential.

2. Spurs- Even though I'm a Warriors fan, I think the Spurs deserve to win the championship next year the most. I just love the way they play and with one of the greatest coaches in NBA history Gregg Popavich. They're still pretty much the same team plus Marco Bellinilli If they're no injury prone, they should be in contention.

3. Clippers- Everything so far is going their way. Doc Rivers is coach, J.J Redick, Collison, Jared Dudley, the new additions of the Clippers. My only problem is the playoffs for them. Lob City will be Sob City in the playoffs. Unless if either DJ or Griffin step up and improve their post moves or the mid jumper.

4. Rockets

5. Warriors

6. Nuggets

7. Grizzles

8. Blazers, Pelicans, or TimberWolves

East

1-4 Can be in any order

Heat- Mike Miller is a big loss for the Heat. But Birdman will still be around. I don't remember if they got Greg Oden yet but if Oden can be that physical presence for them, that's good.

Nets

Bulls- Rose will make them better by default.

Pacers- I don't know what they will do with Danny Granger but if he's kept then their offensive play will be better.

5. Knicks

6. Hawks

7-8. Bucks, Pistons, Cavs, or Celtics

For me so far

EAST
1. Pacers- They are an improving.
2. Heat- Miller was a big loss. Its gonna cost them, but not much.
3. Bulls- Considering Rose won't wait another season to be "100%" they will be good.
4. Nets- Fixed up franchise. Will need more team chemistry to be higher.
5. Hawks- developing team.
6. Knicks- Kidd was a loss.
7. Cavs- Irving man.
8. Bucks- A bunch of lucky and ugly wins.

West
1. Spurs- Duncan will continue to dominate.
2. Rockets- Great group of new guys.
3. Thunder- Great team. I just dont think they will dominate.
4. Warriors- Are a young sstrong team.
5. Grizzlies- Last year was better.
6. Clippers- Lotta moves over this season. Will do alright.
7. Nuggets- Bad playoff run last year. Will do ok.
8. Trail Blazers or Timberwolves-Both will be good.

Ray told me earlier that Pistons get Brandon Jennings. I think that puts them into 7-8 seed. Jennings is inconsistent but can get hot at times. He's still a young guy.

I don't think he is good enough to carry the team. He is a great athlete but not the good enough.

Yeah, I don't think he's that high caliber of a player but the weak east teams are still pretty weak. Jennings gives them a better chance of clinching an 7th-8th seed like I said before.

I'm too lazy to examine each team's roster right now, so I'll reserve playoff seeding judgment for later. I would like to comment on some of bigger, more recent trades and signings though.

I think the Pistons have a better shot at getting that 8th seed this year than they did last year with the signings of Jennings and Billups. But they're far from a lock.

The Wizards signing Wall to a max deal for 5 years is a bit of a headscratcher. He's been a solid player so far with a pretty high ceiling, but he's definitely not worth a max contract. I honestly think this deal is gonna significantly limit the Wizards in the near future unless they score some nice draft picks. I'm not familiar with their cap space situation, but Wall is the only player on the roster so far (to my knowledge) that is even remotely close to All-Star status (and quite frankly, there's a plethora of talented point guards in the league).

Derrick Rose returning this season... Yes, he will instantly improve the Bulls squad. But how much remains a question. He may have been the youngest MVP ever, but I'm skeptical about his confidence these days. He took an entire year off cuz he didn't feel ready. Even if his body is physically ready, his mind may not be. Plus, with his ACL injury, I also wonder whether or not he'll be as explosive as he was in the past. In my opinion, his explosiveness was by far his best attribute.

Mavericks getting Monta Ellis and Devin Harris puts them in a good position to compete for one of the bottom seeds. At his best, Monta Ellis is an elite scorer. But he's a bit inconsistent. Nowitzki is starting to decline, so Ellis is most likely gonna have to take center stage. It's really not ideal, but his addition should improve their squad.

How do you guys thinks teams like the Pelicans, Kings, and Mavericks will do.