Right. It's finally here.

So last season ended with Bron winning his first, but for me the biggest story last year was Linsanity. We'll get to Lin later.

This year the hype is mostly about Lakers/Howard and will they meet Miami in the final, which seems like no more than a wild guess, considering all the new-maybe-lethal combos you find in other teams.

Let me run a quick scan of notable teams right now:

Lakers: Right now the Lakers are not so hot, but the season barely started, I find it ridiculous how people judge them so soon. Plus, Howard and Nash need some time to gel. I'm not so sure Nash made the right choice by moving to LA, but age is catching up and he deserves a chance at the title. Still, I think the spotlight in LA is too big for our phoenix lad. I definitely think that he belongs in one of the top teams, just not LA, but only time will tell...

Miami is confident, and that's why I think they're even stronger than last year. The Ray Allen saga will soon be forgotten. The key to success is the fact that Wade and all understand that Lebron is the man and the leader, and they just need to complete him. The whole big-3 talk is confusing and no good for them.

Thunder: OKC depends on Durant, who most see him as "the next Kobe Bryant". The similarities are there, only the rings are missing...for now. OKC parted ways with Harden this summer, but I don't think it will damage their chances that much. Together with Westbrook, Ibaka and Perkins, they're still a deadly force.

Boston: well,every year it seems like Boston is out of the picture, and every year they seem to wake up for the playoffs. Question is, can they stop Miami? probably not. But Boston is Boston, you can never count them out. Terry is a great addition, especially with Ray Allen gone.

Timberwolves ok now it's getting interesting. The biggest news is Brandon Roy who everyone thought is finished with injuries. I'm really glad to see him back in the league. He's one of the top ten players, if you're asking me. Together with Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio, Andrei Kirilenko and Barea, it could get explosive. They're also called "the white team", as in Love and the russians etc, so here's your chance to see if white men can jump

Rockets: so here's where you'll find Harden. And Lin! I think it's good for Lin to build himself away from NY, but you know the Yao Ming comparisons will go on, especially when playing for the rockets. Still he's a different player, different skills. Will Linsanity return this year? one can only hope.

Knicks: yet another team with quite a bunch of stars. It seems to be more of a trend since Wade and Lebron got together. What do you do when you have Carmelo, Amare, Chandler, Kidd, (Wallace, Smith etc)...you try to make it a team, but we've seen it's not always easy. Who will step down and should there be one leader?

Clippers: another interesting mix in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Billups and Odom. And there you go, who are the kings of LA now? Kobe is worried, and he should be.

Brooklyn Nets: Deron Williams. I mentioned my top ten list before? he's in it. Can he lead this team forward? yes, but not too far I guess. Reggie Evans and company are not enough.

Other Usual Suspects:

Spurs, as usual.

Chicago, hopefully better than last year.

Dallas: if Dirk is healthy, anything could happen.

Memphis: always dangerous, still a young team. Good as any.