Featuring the heavyweight teams and top superstars of the NBA, the Western Conference enters the 2002-03 season once again facing the expectation of producing the league champion. But in the meantime, there are 82 games to be played, and while the Lakers and Kings attempt to re-establish themselves as the conference torch-bearers, teams from Seattle to Memphis set out to grow their young talent and pull off a few dramatic upsets along the way. Here's a look at the state of the union out West:

SUBPLOTS TO WATCH

Great Expectations I -- The Veterans: Odom The L.A. Clippers' Lamar Odom, Seattle's Calvin Booth, Memphis's Michael Dickerson and Houston's Maurice Taylor missed most or all of last season with various injuries, and all will be back on the court to make what their teams hope will be quality contributions. Odom, especially, should be a major factor in L.A.'s playoff aspirations. Minnesota's Terrell Brandon also continues to recover from knee surgery with no timetable for his return; the Timberwolves would love to have him back after they lost Chauncey Billups to free agency. Great Expectations II -- The Rookies: Gooden Houston's Yao Ming and Golden State's Mike Dunleavy grabbed headlines as the early selections in the 2002 NBA Draft, but it is Memphis's Drew Gooden and Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire who have been most impressive in the preseason. Through Oct. 22, Gooden was leading the Grizz in both scoring (18.0 ppg) and rebounding (11.5 rpg), while Stoudemire ranked first among Suns in rebounding (7.2 rpg) and fourth in scoring (11.5 ppg). San Antonio's Emanuel Ginobili also played well for Argentina in the World Championships of Basketball could supplant Steve Smith as a starter before season's end. Great Expectations III -- The Coaches: Musselman First-year coaches Eric Musselman in Golden State and Jeff Bzdelik in Denver aren't going to work miracles with two teams that combined to win 48 games last season, the Warriors in particular are expected to improve. While the Nuggets' roster is replete with unknowns, there is some quality young talent in the Bay Area with Antawn Jamison, Jason Richardson and Mike Dunleavy; it will be up to Musselman to make it click. This Little Piggy Went to the Market: O'Neal Before the Lakers go out winning any fourth title, though, there is a more immediate matter requiring their attention: Shaq's big toe. The big man will begin the season on the disabled list and miss a minimum of five games while recuperating from offseason surgery. Soumaila Samake is expected to start in his place. Chemistry Set? McInnis In addition to bringing back center Arvydas Sabonis, Portland added Jeff McInnis and Antonio Daniels to an already-crowded backcourt of Damon Stoudamire, Derek Anderson and Bonzi Wells. Seattle, as a result of unloading Vin Baker, now has Gary Payton and Kenny Anderson sharing the point, and the Mavs will continue to bank on a happy Nick Van Exel backing up Steve Nash. Will bickering over minutes creep up during the season? History has shown us a direct proportion wherein the discontent among reserves who think they should start increases with the number of losses. And finally ... Robinson This year will be the farewell tour of duty for Spurs center David Robinson, who announced back in May that he would retire following the 2002-03 season. A class act both on and off the court, the Admiral will leave the game with no less than these gems on his career resume: NBA Championship (1999), MVP (1995), Defensive Player of the Year (1992) and Rookie of the Year (1990). He is also an 11-time All-Star and the only player other than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to win scoring, rebounding and blocked shots titles.

THE FINAL FOUR
Unlike the socialist utopia that is the Eastern Conference's preseason playoff picture, the West's features a swaggering blend of elitism and entitlement from a well-defined upper class of neighborhood bullies. No question, the Lakers, Kings, Spurs and Mavs will own homecourt advantage when the 2003 postseason begins next spring; the only variable is the final ranking.

Last year, these four teams combined for a .713 winning percentage, with the No. 4 seed, Dallas, finishing seven games up on the No. 5 seed, Minnesota. All four advanced to the conference semifinals. Compare that to the East, where the top four teams combined for a .594 winning percentage and where the No. 4 seed finished only two games ahead of the No. 8 seed. Parity? Competitive balance? The mighty West cares not for such trifles.

Key for our four conference overlords, of course, is that no West team improved itself substantially enough during the offseason to traverse the velvet rope of their exclusive VIP club. Last year's non-playoff clubs like the Clippers and Rockets will now be mixing things up in the middle of the standings, but second-tier squads like the Blazers and Timberwolves aren't going to challenge the likes of Kobe Bryant and Chris Webber by adding Antonio Daniels and Troy Hudson.

The more intriguing question -- the one inquiring minds really want to know -- is whether the Lakers will be seriously challenged by any of these other three leading contenders (Sacramento, we're looking in your direction), or will they simply cruise to their fourth straight NBA title? Short answers: No, with a but, and yes, with an if.

The Mavericks and Spurs will ably carry the Midwest Division throughout the regular season, but come playoff time, both the Lakers and Kings can prey upon those teams' weaknesses. Tim Duncan's MVP game won't disguise San Antonio's lack of scoring depth, and the tons of points Dallas piles up won't do the job against the tons of points they allow. Recent cases in point: During the conference semifinals last year, the Spurs managed only 85.8 points per game against L.A., while the Mavs averaged 106.8 against Sacramento's 112.8. As the personnel for both Texas clubs remains relatively unchanged, look for the Lakers and Kings to once again play for the conference championship.

The Lakers will be favorites as long as they have Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant healthy and happy, but certainly the Kings have the most legimitate shot at overthrowing the reigning champs. Their team -- deeper than any in the league -- is intact following its league-best 61 wins and seven-game playoff stand against L.A. last year, re-signing point guard Mike Bibby and even reinforcing its frontcourt with the acquisition of Keon Clark. Sacramento's big-game postseason experience against the Lakers will only help its cause, especially considering that the Kings' ultimate undoing in the conference finals was not only Shaq's 30-point scoring average, but also their 14 shanked free throws and overtime disappearing act in Game 7. As any Miss America will affirm, poise counts.

ROUNDUP: BEST OF THE REST IN THE WEST
With four playoff locks in the West -- barring unforeseen and influential events of an injurious nature -- that leaves seven teams competing for the four remaining postseason berths. (Fare thee well in '03-04, Grizzlies, Warriors and Nuggets). Predictions for their chances:

Houston Rockets: Out
Last year, injuries (Steve Francis, Maurice Taylor, Glen Rice) and the lack of a consistently effective front line resulted in only 28 wins. Now everyone's healthy and they've got Yao Ming in the middle; they'll be close at the end, but give them another year.

L.A. Clippers: In
Big-time acquisition of Andre Miller to run the point, the return of Lamar Odom from injury and the continued growth of their young players will put this team in its first postseason since 1997.

Minnesota Timberwolves: In
Point guard position is a big question mark -- Troy Hudson is the starter at this point -- but with Kevin Garnett, Wally Szczerbiak and reliable role players, they remain good enough to get there and not quite good enough to advance.

Andre Miller on point could be the difference between playoffs and lottery for the Clips. (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images)

Phoenix Suns: Out
In transition as they phase in promising youngsters Joe Johnson and Amare Stoudemire and phase out declining vets Penny Hardaway and Tom Gugliotta. Stephon Marbury and Shawn Marion will only carry the team so far, but they'll be a dangerous proposition next year.

Portland Trail Blazers: In
Another year, another talent-laden roster. The play, attitude, maturity and leadership of Rasheed Wallace will determine their level success, or lack thereof.

Seattle Sonics: Out
Gary Payton is still one of the best and Rashard Lewis continues to improve, but Seattle lacks a skilled big man to compete with the studs in the conference; Vladimir Radmanovic and Calvin Booth have promise, but the West's monster forwards will feast on the Sonics.

Utah Jazz: In
Rule No. 1: Never count out John Stockton and Karl Malone; they do not suffer from the effects of aging that befall the rest of us. Utah lost a couple key players in Donyell Marshall and Bryon Russell, but Andrei Kirilenko is a rising star and Matt Harpring is a solid offseason acquisition.