ron-artest-natalin-acviAnd this ends the division previews; tomorrow, on opening night, we bombard you with random league ruminations. Previously: Atlantic, Central, Southeast, Southwest, Northwest. Pictured: Ron Artest and suddenly popular model Natalin Avci.

Los Angeles Lakers
Question marks: Once Ron Artest implodes, how will the team handle it? WTF is up with Lamar Odom? What will be Kobe’s desire be like now that he won a title without Shaq?
Andrew Bynum: Looked like a budding star last year before getting hurt; was a foul-machine in the postseason. Can’t seem to stay healthy. Has 17-10 potential … if he stays on the court.
kobe-bryantArtest-for-Ariza: Think they lost on this deal. Ariza’s younger, a better defender, doesn’t have a history of crazy, and was a terrific role player. Real winner? Bloggers, who will have a ton of fun with Artest in LA.
Music: Fact.
Stab at the record: 62-20.
Playoffs: Would be stunned if the Lakers weren’t in the Western Conference Championship.

blake-griffin-middle-finger-and-girlfriendLos Angeles Clippers
Question mark: Can they win with Mike Dunleavy as coach? (Don’t answer that.)
Depth: On paper, the starting five is outstanding. We have issues with the bench, which includes chronic malcontents Ricky Davis and Sebastian Telfair.
Beastly: If Blake Griffin catches on as quickly as most think (are 12-8 rookie projections too high?), the Clippers frontline will include a shot-blocker (Camby) and a guy with better moves than he gets credit for (Kaman).
Music: Flip flam, all over the jam.
Stab at the record: A 30-win improvement is entirely possible. How does 49-33 sound? And the 30-win leap isn’t just because of Griffin; Baron’s healthy, Eric Gordon’s no longer a rookie, and maybe Chris Kaman can avoid injury. At full speed, this team’s got talent.
Playoffs: Yes. And with a dangerous backcourt and a potentially powerful frontcourt, we expect the Clippers to take the place of the Rockets in the playoffs.

stephon-curry-and-his-familyGolden State Warriors
Question mark: Does Don Nelson have a clue what he’s doing? Will Anthony Randolph explode like he did in the Summer League? Will Stephen Jackson be traded? What about Monta Ellis?
Also Cause for Concern: Getting Steph Curry shots and burn.
Ugh: Devoid of defense. Completely.
Music: Especially for Don and Stack Jack.
Stab at the record: After 29 wins last year, the talent is there for an improvement. But with so much uncertainty in the front office and with Nelson’s coaching style, we’ll peg ‘em for only 32 wins.
Playoffs: Seems like an eternity ago that this team was a No. 8 seed and stunned No. 1 Dallas. Have enough pieces in place to get back there … but need a serious purging (coach, disgruntled players).

Phoenix Suns
Question marks: Steve Nash turns 36 in February and his stats dipped last season. What does the two-time MVP have left? How will he handle being on a losing team?
Mistake: Robin Lopez 14th in the 2008 draft. The three players selected after him – Speights, Hibbert, McGee – are already contributing. .
What’s not to like: Three terrific offensive players – Amare, Barbosa, J Rich – who feign defense 82 games a year.
Music: This defines their cycles, right?
Stab at the record: Won’t match last year’s 46 victories. Las Vegas has set the over/under for wins at 40, and we’ll go way under. With 30.
Playoffs: Negative. Trending downward. Should deal Amare and Nash and start over.

Sacramento Kings
Question marks: Who will score inside? Is Spencer Hawes a legit starting center in this league? Did Jason Thompson hit his ceiling last year? How frustrated must Kevin Martin be?
Bomb: Rookie Tyreke Evans, who is our pick for ROY. Our lasting memory of him is being unguardable in the NCAA tournament (see below). He and Kevin Martin are a solid foundation.
Yuck: Spencer Hawes was a decent player at Washington. Jason Thompson was a solid performer as a rookie. Andres Nocioni is an average small forward. If every team is healthy in the West, this is the weakest 3-4-5 in the conference.
2010 NBA Draft: Dreaming of Derrick Favors? As nice as Cole Aldrich is in college, could you justify taking him with a top five pick?
Music: Not since C-Webb/Bibby/Vlade were split up.
Stab at the record: League-low 17 wins last year. Should be in the hunt for that dubious distinction again this year. Twenty-two victories would be a mild accomplishment.
Playoffs: Ha.