Well, the NBA begins its new season in a couple of hours, and just like every NBA fan, I'm ready to resume my ranting, er, talking about the NBA! Here are my predictions for the upcoming season, conference by conference.

Eastern Conference
Cream of the Crop

1. Cleveland Cavaliers: If any year is going to be their year, it's this year. Shaquille O'Neal won't be the Shaq of even five years ago, but he gives them their biggest post presence in many years, and he'll be ready come playoff time. Expect LeBron to challenge for another MVP, and for Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker to bolster the bench. Record: 63-19
2. Boston Celtics: The C's have one more year as legit contenders before age sets in. The addition of Rasheed Wallace will definately help Kevin Garnett (returning from injury) and Kendrick Perkins, especially with Glen Davis injured to start the season. Otherwise, expect the C's to be the team version of Shaq and coast until the playoffs. Record: 57-25
3. Orlando Magic: The tradeoff of Hedo Turkoglu for Vince Carter is small, but noticeble; Carter isn't nearly the passer Turkoglu is, nor is he the defensive presence (yikes!). But that may be a blessing, since Dwight Howard might get more looks inside. Otherwise, the Magic will have a healthy Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis after his suspension is up, and the Magic will have a solid year. Record: 54-28.

Run of the Mill
4. Atlanta Hawks: Maybe newcomer Jamal Crawford will finally sniff the playoffs! But seriously, other than Crawford and well-worn veteran Joe Smith, the Hawks haven't changed much, and while that should be good enough to compete for home-court in the 1st round, they won't get very far once that round is over. Record: 50-32
5. Washington Wizards: A real wild-card pick, but if Gilbert Arenas stays healthy (stop laughing!), the triad of Arenas, Antawn Jamison (who is hurt; uh oh) and Caron Butler is very good, and Mike Miller and rookie JaVale McGee are potentially good additions. New coach Flip Saunders has a great track record with bad teams, but we'll see once the season gets going, though. Record: 47-35
6. Toronto Raptors: Hedo Turkoglu should provide them with some solid play, but Chris Bosh isn't quite Dwight Howard, though Bosh is darn solid. But there are no defensive specialists on this team, which means that the Raptors will have great fantasy players, but not a great team in reality. Record: 43-39

Not That Great
7. Philadelphia 76ers: New coach Eddie Jordan has the same conundrum that the previous coach did; how to integrate Elton Brand into a fast-break oriented team. With Andre Miller gone, it will be even tougher to do. Expect a season's worth of struggles as the Sixers fight the old Clipper curse. Record: 41-41
8. Miami Heat: It's the Dwayne Wade show! Other than adding the extremely well-traveled Quentin Richardson, the Heat added nobody. And they weren't well-equipped last year, so hoping that oft-injured Jermaine O'Neal can stay healthy and be productive is a stretch. Fear Wade's free agnecy! Record: 39-43
9. Chicago Bulls: The Bulls put on a memorable show in last year's playoffs, pushing the Celtics to the brink of 1st round elimination. Alas, that would be quite an accomplishment this year; Ben Gordon is gone, and with him goes a lot of their offense. Expect Derrick Rose's PPG to go up, but for the Bulls' wins to go down. Record: 36-46

Now We're In Trashville
10. Detroit Pistons: The Pistons sure did hit the wall last year, and now Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess are gone, along with team cancer Allen Iverson. But adding Ben Gordon is strange, since he and Richard Hamilton are essentially the same player, and Charlie Villanueva is a poor man's Rasheed, so how exactly have they improved. New coach John Kuester has a lot of work to do. Record: 33-49
11. New York Knicks: Now we've gotten to the "Teams waiting for the season to end" list; the Knicks will once again be entertaining, but lose aplenty. At least they added Darko Milicic...wait, never mind! Expect David Lee to have another good year, and for Nate Robinson to be lifting off, but no playoffs. Record: 26-56
12. Indiana Pacers: Hard to believe a team could still be reeling from an incident five years ago, but the Pacers still haven't recovered from the Ron Artest fiasco. Mike Dunleavy won't play initially with a bad knee, and the team still doesn't have a legit second player to go with Danny Granger. Roy Hibbert could become a good post player, but good guys don't always win you games. Record: 24-58

Lottery-Bound
13. Charlotte Bobcats: Tyson Chandler for Emeka Okafor; trading an injured big for an injured big. Sounds like a push at best. With ownership issues and Raymond Felton wanting a new deal, Larry Brown might be ready to jump ship...again. Record: 20-62
14. New Jersey Nets: The Nets want badly to escape Jersey, but they won't for the forseeable future. With Vince Carter gone, Devin Harris could have a career-year scoring wise, but other than him and Brook Lopez, the next-best player is...Rafer Alston. Yikes! Record: 17-65
15. Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks' slogan is "Work Hard...Play Hard". Great slogan, but less-talented hard workers rarely win, and the firesale purged them of Richard Jefferson, Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villanueva, among others. Expect Michael Redd to be dealt by at least mid-season, and for the Bucks to have the worst record in the East. Record: 14-68