This is the most important year the NBA has had since the first time Michael Jordan retired. There are many questions entering this season that will forever shape the league's future. Will this finally be the Kings' year? Can Michael Jordan sustain the rigors and torture of one last year? Can he make the Wizards a better team by coming off the bench? How will the number one pick in this year's draft, Yao Ming, fare coming over from China? Will the league's move from NBC to ESPN and ABC pan out? There are so many more questions, but they all may not be answered this year. This year, the league is wide open and could make for one of the best seasons fans have seen in awhile.

Let's first examine the West because that's where the champions reside. Most will agree the Lakers actually won the NBA Championship last year when they survived Game 7 of the Western Conference Championship against the Kings. They are the team to beat, as they have been the past 3 seasons. Shaq, Kobe, and Coach Phil Jackson know what it takes to win, so everyone else is chasing them. Sacramento gave L.A. all it could handle last year but lacked the mental toughness that takes a team from being a great team to being champions. When it comes down to it, the main question in the West is, do the Kings now have that one intangible to beat the Lakers? San Antonio and Dallas are the only other teams that can come close to matching up with the Lakers' talent, but they are farther behind than the Kings are mentally.

The Eastern Conference is, well, bad. It's weak; it's terrible; it's hard to watch at times. The New Jersey Nets won the chance last year to be swept by the Lakers in the Finals, and it looks like they are still in that position. They picked up a legitimate center in Dikembe Mutombo and traded the heartless Keith Van Horn to the Sixers, bumping the high-flying, exciting Richard Jefferson to starting small forward. They are the East's best and most exciting team to watch. Jason Kidd is the best point guard in the league, which really isn't saying much these days since it seems the NBA has abandoned the position.

Orlando is an interesting team because no one really knows what their deal is. This is Tracy McGrady's team, but Grant Hill has to stay healthy for them to be a factor. If Hill returns to even 75% of his former self then the Magics are either the second or third best team in the East. If not, they fall to fifth or sixth. T-Mac just isn't good enough to carry the team that far by himself. YET.

It might be a fun year for Washington. They picked up Jerry Stackhouse and Larry Hughes to form a nice starting backcourt and drafted Juan Dixon and Jared Jeffries, the two best players in this year's NCAA Championship. Kwame Brown has to get at least 15 points and 10 boards a night for this team to make some waves. Oh yeah, did I mention they have a 6'6'' guard/small forward from UNC named Michael Jordan coming off the bench? If he can play 25-30 minutes a game and be on the floor late in the fourth quarter, there's not a more intriguing team in the East. The Wizards should be good enough to get at least into the second round of the playoffs, which shows how smart Michael Jordan is. Three years ago, this team was a joke; now they are a solid team with plenty of upside.

Everyone else in the East is just going through the motions. This is put-up or shut-up time for Vince Carter. He has a lot to prove this year since the Raptors made the playoffs AFTER he went out with a knee injury. It's time to find out if Vinsanity can be the next Mike or Dominique Wilkins.

That being said, these are your teams to watch this year. The Lakers, Kings, Nets, Magic, and Wizards are the teams that Commissioner David Stern is banking on to make the league look good this year. The problem is, there are about 24 other teams that might make the league look horrible. I'm looking at you, Denver and New York.