Summer Forecast: Who will win the NBA title?

Is it L.A.'s turn again?

Yes, it is, according to about half of our panel of 25 ESPN writers, editors and contributors.

Just as they have been throughout most of NBA history, the Los Angeles Lakers are a force again -- and now the preseason favorites to win NBA title No. 15.

Of course, that means 13 members of our panel predicted the Lakers will not win the 2008-09 NBA championship, and the top challenger in our voting will surprise some: the up-and-coming New Orleans Hornets, not the Boston Celtics.

And, don't forget, the Lakers were also favored going into the Finals in June, and we all saw how the Celtics fed on the skepticism about their chances.

But the difficulty of repeating, especially with an older lineup, is reflected in the voting results below: Only 16 percent of our panel sees the C's going back-to-back.

For the full results, including the surging expectations for the Hornets and the dark-horse candidacies of the Rockets and Cavaliers, see below:

2008-09 PREDICTIONS: NBA CHAMPS
RANK		TEAM	PREDICTED RECORD	VOTES
1		Los Angeles Lakers	55-27 (.671)	12
2		New Orleans Hornets	54-28 (.659)	6
3		Boston Celtics	55-27 (.671)	4
4		Houston Rockets	53-29 (.646)	2
5		Cleveland Cavaliers	50-32 (.610)	1

The Lakers might win the 2008-09 NBA title if ...read full article

 

Shaquille O'neal...done in 2010?

By Kelly Dwyer

Don't look now (actually, look now), but Shaquille O'Neal has a chance to see his name in the same sentence as the words "tact" and "class," without having a "less" affixed to the rear end of either of those two words. 

News out of Florida has the Phoenix Suns center retiring in 734 days, when his contract expires following the 2009-10 season. Normally this bit of news would have us sadly lamenting the tail part of the career of what may have been the game's most dominant force (at times, let's say), but after a few years of boorish behavior, Shaq's hardly on anyone's good side these days.

Between pointlessly rehashing a moronic feud with Kobe Bryant (under the guise of playful joshing, or dealing in some supposedly proud tradition of trading rude rap verses with someone), struggling to get up and down the court at times, while pulling in huge gobs of cash (20 million a year), O'Neal's career has taken a rather inglorious turn of late.

And it probably should have felt a bit more inglorious earlier on, if O'Neal weren't so damned charismatic. And so productive in June. As it stands, and now that the...read full story

Walton's Wish: Getting Back on the Court

Lakers forward recovers slowly from ankle surgery.

Without any clocks inside the gym, it was easy for Luke Walton to lose track of time. An hour, then another slipped by without him knowing.  The Lakers forward was captivated by the sloppy pick-up game he watched while running on a weight-resistant treadmill. If only he could play a pick-up game, he thought.  If only Walton could be out on the court, running plays and making baskets. If only he could dish off to Andrew Bynum like he used to and watch wide-eyed as the Lakers center slammed the ball in. If only he could run without worry on his surgically repaired right ankle.  Walton expects to get medical clearance Wednesday from the doctor, giving him the go-ahead to begin more rigorous workouts. He ran Tuesday on a wind-bubble treadmill that reduces body weight on joints, the first time he has tested his ankle since having surgery less than two months ago.

"I'm keeping my fingers crossed and if I get it (clearance), I'm going to start...read full article