Top 10 NBA teams for 2009-2010 season

More than any other NBA season in recent memory, team chemistry will ultimately define many of the top ballclubs throughout the league this year.

If Shaquille O’Neal, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson and the other big-time acquisitions over the offseason aren’t able to blend in with their new squads, look for teams that pretty much stayed intact from a year ago like the Denver Nuggets, Portland Trailblazers and Atlanta Hawks to make more noise.

Here are All Net’s top 10 teams for the upcoming 2009-2010 NBA season with their ’08-’09 regular-season records in brackets.

10). New Orleans Hornets (49-33). The Hornets absolutely needed to acquire (but couldn’t afford) more support for NBA All-Stars Chris Paul and David West. They traded Tyson Chandler for Emeka Okafor to become a tad bit more offensive. But with the aging Peja Stojakovic, 34, putting in only 13 points a contest, the Hornets simply lack the consistent firepower on a nightly basis to bang with the Top Dawgs.

9). Denver Nuggets (54-28). Can they duplicate last year’s amazing run? That might be a daunting task. After acquiring a true floor leader in Chauncey Billups, the Nuggets tied their franchise record of 54 regular season victories in ‘09. Billups and Carmelo Anthony will continue to shine, so it’s up to their big men Kenyon Martin, Nene, and Chris Andersen to come through again if the team hopes to duplicate their Western Conference Finals appearance or advance beyond it.

8). Atlanta Hawks (47-35). Jamal Crawford's a nice touch to the already talented Hawks roster. With his acquisition, the team has a legit scorer to complement fellow backcourt stars Joe Johnson (above photo) and Mike Bibby. The problem, though, with the Hawks still lies in the frontcourt. With no true proven center on their current roster, the athletic Hawks just can’t physically counter the brute force of Orlando’s Dwight Howard or the Cavs’ Shaquille O’Neal in the paint.

7). Portland Trailblazers (54-28). Crafty veteran point guard Andre Miller adds valued experience to the young, promising Blazers this upcoming season. Brandon Roy has established himself as a perennial NBA superstar. The bench has established itself as one of the deepest, featuring Rudy Fernandez of Italy. Now the time’s ripe for oft-injured center Greg Oden to show his full worth as the No. 1 selection in the 2007 NBA Draft. If he does, the Blazers could pose big problems for the Mavs and Spurs.

6). Dallas Mavericks (50-32). No one’s talking much about the Mavericks these days. That could be a good thing for them. When expectations were high, they always disappointed their fans. This season has to be the final ride for point guard Jason Kidd, 36, (above photo driving) and maybe even Dirk Nowitzki, 31. The squad inserted much needed quickness and depth in the lineup with Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden. It’s just a matter if all these old men can stay healthy or not for 82 games and a playoff stretch.

5). Boston Celtics (62-20). Kevin Garnett’s knee is still a question mark. If K.G. misses any chunk of time or doesn’t return to his old former league MVP self, the Celtics will have trouble handling the Top 4 teams. Rasheed Wallace should be a help rather than a hindrance. But perhaps what’s most bothersome is the wearing down of Paul Pierce in the conference finals in May. At 31-years-old, Pierce seemingly lost that oomph in his game he so elegantly displayed in ‘08 when they won the title.

4). San Antonio Spurs (54-28). Though The Big Three (Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili) were scheduled to return, the Spurs recognized the necessity to get better to remain an elite team in the league. Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, Theo Ratliff along with rookie DeJuan Blair shore up a great supporting cast for the Spurs. But it’s how the team’s youngest star Parker will productively integrate these new guys which will ultimately decide how far the Spurs will go this season.

3). Orlando Magic (59-23). The runner-ups in the 2009 NBA Finals lost a key component in their run when Hedo Turkoglu bolted to the Toronto Raptors. Replacement Vince Carter’s legs may be a bit wary, but his game translates well into the Magic’s system. He can drain the 3-ball as well as penetrate through the lane. Both Dwight Howard (above photo) and Rashard Lewis will benefit immensely when Carter’s on the floor. If point guard Jameer Nelson returns to his All-Star play, the Magic could ruin things again for the Celts and Cavs.

2). Cleveland Cavaliers (66-16). The Cavs learned in a painful way that winning 66 games in the regular season doesn’t mean a thing without a ring. The 2009 MVP LeBron James actually has more at stake this season with Big Shaquille O’Neal in town. Kobe won with Shaq. D-Wade won with Shaq. What if LeBron fails? At 37, Shaq can still get it done 20 to 25 minutes a night. So with basically the same unit returning along with O’Neal, there’s no excuse for King James if he doesn’t hoist his first NBA trophy this year.

1). Los Angeles Lakers (65-17). The Lakers have the best coach, player and team in the league. Yes, starter Trevor Ariza departed, but Ron Artest can quickly fill that role. At this juncture in his career, Artest wants to win and that’s what the Lakers do. So despite some anxiety, Ron Ron won’t be a distraction at all. Back-to-back titles would virtually be a wrap if the Lakers could get steadier production from big fellas like Andrew Bynum and Josh Powell. The team’s Jekyll and Hyde play is a concern. There are just too many potentially good squads in the NBA for that inconsistency in ’09-10.

5 ridiculous stories in 2009 NBA offseason

Presumably because it is the offseason, some of the wackiest stories in the NBA seem to surface June through August.

I guess everyone has too much free time on their hands to stay clear of the news cameras.

The 2009 NBA offseason was definitely no exception. Here are five of the most ridiculous stories surrounding the NBA to emerge over the summer.

5). Davis’ laptop stolen.
Is Los Angeles Clippers’ star Baron Davis (photo, left) still crossing his fingers?

According to his attorney, Davis’ jacked laptop computer contained a “variety of private images of (him), his associates and his colleagues.”

Seemingly so distressed about the thievery, Davis summoned his attorney to immediately send out letters warning media outlets they’re subject to litigation if the point guard’s embarrassing files and photos are published or sold to another party.

The two-time NBA All-Star apparently must have some heavy personal stuff stored on that hard drive.

4). Jefferson gets cold feet.
Calling off a wedding’s nothing new. But hours before the $2 million occasion? That’s heartless.

Although the San Antonio Spurs’ newest key acquisition Richard Jefferson disputes the timetable and the actual cost of the event, he can’t dispute the coldness and shamefulness in his actions.

“He called two hours before the wedding. It was nuts,” one of Jefferson’s close friends told the New York Post.

Jefferson can’t be all bad, though. He did reportedly give his jilted bride a make nice “six-figure” sum to move on without him in her life.

3). Miller called homewrecker.
Former NBA long-range bomber Reggie Miller better watch his back from now on.

Sure, the TNT analyst was unscathed this time around, but most men usually don’t play around when it comes to boneheads flirting with their women.

So what Reggie’s the 12th leading scorer in NBA history and drained the most threes ever in the league?

He could still catch a beatdown.

According to the restraining order filed against him, Miller waited over an hour in a grocery store parking lot for the engaged woman and sent her 53 text messages in a four-hour span.

Reggie called it simply flirting, but it sounds more like simply stalking.

2). Dirk’s ex-fiancée gets 5 years.
Poor Dirk Nowitzki (photo, right). It seems he just can’t win.

In spite of his efforts of continuously leading the Dallas Mavericks to the playoffs and one of the top records in the NBA every season, the 7-foot German still hasn’t captured that elusive championship after 11 seasons in the league.

Now, his ex-lover is sentenced to five years in prison. To make matters worse, the 39-year-old convict may be pregnant with his child.

At 31-years-old, Dirk’s playing days are dwindling in the NBA. So now there’s a chance the longtime Maverick could retire heartbroken as well as title-less.

1). Nike seizes dunk tapes.
LeBron James may well be the best basketball player on the planet, but even he’s not immune to being posterized.

At first, Nike officials confiscated the dunk tapes, claiming it was against the rules to videotape after-hours pickup games at LeBron’s camp. Then, the sports appeal giant returned the seized tapes, reiterating it didn’t take them because the Cleveland Cavaliers’ superstar was dunked on.

So what was it?

If the tapes were swiped because of camp policy, then why were they returned? Or, as one of the videographers implied, were the tapes snatched per LeBron’s request?

Whatever the case, in the end it made the royal King James look more like an everyday sore loser on the playgrounds than the 2009 NBA Most Valuable Player.