Drama class in L.A.
Just when you thought the Lakers had maxed out the drama in L.A., Kobe does a phone interview with ESPN's Jim Gray that threatens to take the wheels off the championship bus before it even pulls out of the arena parking lot. Citing Shaq for his lack of leadership and conditioning (and that's putting it mildly), Bryant somehow managed to take the public's already intense focus off of his legal matters -- and the team's once-in-a-lifetime assemblage of talent -- and place it back on his contentious relationship with the man in the middle. Maybe this isn't the best way to tip off 2003-04 for the championship hopefuls, but with their marquee twosome back at odds again, things have to at least feel somewhat normal in La-La Land again, especially after everything got turned upside-down this offseason.

The Big Five in the West
Take the five "when-healthy" starting lineups of the West's big five teams (Spurs, Lakers, Kings, Mavs and Timberwolves) and dump them into one talent pool of 25 players. Out of those 25 players, 15 are All-Stars. That's three All-Stars per starting lineup; and the defending-champion Spurs only have one All-Star (Tim Duncan) among their starters. Forget about the "four future Hall of Famers" in L.A.; Dallas, if it chooses, can send out a starting lineup with Steve Nash (17.7 ppg in '02-03) as the least formidable scorer. That's like making Albert Einstein an alternate on your high-school chess team. That's why the race to win the West could be one of the most exciting regular-season races in years.

Teams on the brink in the West
This won't be the year for the Phoenix Suns or the Houston Rockets. But it might not be long before these two exciting teams join the league's elite. In Stephon Marbury, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire, the Suns have more hops than a macrobrewery. Jeff Van Gundy and the Rockets, meanwhile, are building their foundation around the classic inside-outside combo of point guard Steve Francis and center Yao Ming. Come playoff time, these should be two squads that no one, not even the aforementioned big five, will want to face when the stakes are highest.

The 'Bron and the 'Melo
Yes, he is possibly the most celebrated rookie in league history. But is he even going to be the best rookie of his class? That's the challenge facing super-rook LeBron James. So far this preseason, James' highly touted all-around skills have delivered, but Denver's Carmelo Anthony has shown a mature inside-outside game that already makes him the Nuggets' No. 1 option on offense. So who will emerge as the top rookie? The best answer might be that neither one of these franchises really cares; they're just happy to have each of their first-years on board.

Central's Central Theme
Everyone talks about the lack of size in the East, and the dominance of the West, due to big men like Shaq, Duncan and KG. Such talk certainly isn't unfounded, but there might be a slight "size-mic" shift underway, and in the Central Division, no less. After all, this is the division that has the best center you haven't seen play in Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas (7-3). Indiana lost Brad Miller, but they still have tall, talented youngsters Jermaine O'Neal (6-11) and Jonathan Bender (7-0) to build around. The Baby Bulls in Chicago -- Tyson Chandler (7-1) and Eddy Curry (6-11) -- won't be intimidated by anyone in the paint; at least until those European youngsters in Motown -- Darko Milicic (7-0) and Mehmet Okur (6-11) -- fully come into their own. No, none of these big men can stack up against the West's best just yet. But if you want to get an on-site peek at how skyscrapers are built, make sure to watch these guys grow.

The Jazz ... Yes, the Jazz
The Jazz? Aren't they lottery-bound? Why watch a rebuilding team that many feel will be lucky to win 20 games this season? Well see, they have this old-school coach. His name is Eugene "Jerry" Sloan. He's entering into his 16th straight season as coach of the Utah Jazz, where he's compiled a .661 winning percentage with the franchise. And he doesn't like losing. Hates it, actually. So he's got this reputation for milking every ounce of effort from his players, especially on the defensive end. Now that Utah is rebuilding, and Sloan has an army of willing, young -- if anonymous -- charges in Salt Lake, this could be one of the most interesting rebuilding projects in some time. No, this team won't make the playoffs. But if they flirt with 30-35 wins, then Sloan should at least get consideration for that elusive Coach of the Year award.