Here Come The NBA Preview Magazines!

The start of every NBA season brings the annual onslaught of basketball preview publications. Indeed, the prognosticators are starting to weigh in and they are in agreement that the Clippers' youthful squad will continue their climb up the NBA ladder after last season's 16-win improvement. Both The Sporting News and Street & Smith's forecast a fourth place finish in the Pacific Division and a playoff berth for the Clippers. Athlon Sports predicts a fifth-place finish and a playoff near-miss, while Lindy's Basketball gave the Clippers an "A" for their offseason acquisiton of Elton Brand.

Individual accolades are also in the magazines, such as Street & Smith's ranking of Lamar Odom as the number two small forward in the NBA. The same publication has Elton Brand tabbed as the eighth-best power forward and Darius Miles as one of its top six "breakout stars". That trio of forwards, combined with Michael Olowokandi, anchor the league's fifth-best frontcourt, according to The Sporting News, behind the Lakers (first), San Antonio (second), Sacramento (third) and Dallas (fourth).

In the Pacific Division, the Clippers are The Sporting News' "ascending team" and Lamar Odom is the division's most underrated player. In The Sporting News' position rankings, the Clippers are the only team to have three forwards (Odom - 12th, Brand - 15th and Miles - 23rd ) ranked among the top 25 players at the position.