NBA Primetime's 2009-2010 Season Predictions

As NBA fans anxiously await the start of the new season (which, unfortunately, does not begin for close to two months), NBA Primetime is here to present the 2009-2010 season predictions for the upcoming year. Best in the West? The Lakers enter the new season quite differently than they have in recent years. For the first time since the Kobe/Shaq era, L.A. steps foot onto the court as the defending champions of the NBA. And with the offseason acquisition of defensive phenom Ron Artest, who brings more to the table than arguably any other free-agent signing, is there any doubt that the Lakers are in for a repeat this season?With a healthy Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom, the Lakers once again rank amongst the elite as the strongest overall organization in the league. Beast in the East? Since the East has clearly risen above the West throughout the last few seasons, the answer to the question in bold is obviously not as easy. While ESPN placed Cleveland as the top ...