What are we looking for?

Let’s start with that and make our way down to the bottom, or as I will call it the spot reserved strictly for the Minnesota Timberwolves until David Kahn proves that he is a genius and way smarter than everyone else. Also, because as a Celtics fan I am biased against Kurt Rambis. You’ll get a little note and a quick (one sentence is all you’ll get) offseason summary and the player to watch. And I might be biased, but I’m not biased enough that I didn’t put the Lakers No. 1, as you shall see.

1) Los Angeles Lakers: Until Proven otherwise, they are on top. But there are question marks here. Mainly the health of Andrew Bynum and the self-proclaimed Black Mamba.

Offseason Summary: Will Steve Blake help solve some of the point guard issues? OK, so Fisher torched the Celtics at times in the Finals, but he had his problems in the regular season.

Player to Watch: Kobe Bryant’s knee injury might take some time to heel. Truth be told, the Lakers are deep enough where they don’t need him to be dominant early on. But if he is not healthy by the second half, they could be in trouble.

2) Boston Celtics: The Celtics are probably not team to beat in East, but they should be there when it is all said and done.

Offseason Summary: A few O’Neals and the return of Delonte West give the C’s more depth. The only real loss for this team was Tony Allen, but something tells me C’s fans won’t be crying about the loss of his inconsistencies. His defense? Maybe.

Player to Watch: Paul Pierce needs to stay healthy, because there is very little depth behind him. I’ve felt Rondo is the key to the C’s, but this year Boston can’t afford for Pierce to fall off.

3) Miami Heat: That Mike Miller injury is going to hurt this team, and I think they might get off to a slow start since they did not have tons of time to gel together thanks to Wade’s injury. Of course, if they jump out to a 10-0 start let’s just pretend I never said that.

Offseason Summary: Is this enough? By the way, it kills me that the Heavy are playing in the background there. Great song just totally destroyed.

Player to Watch: LeBron James is the best of Miami’s trio, but he will have to adapt his game the most of any of these players. Let’s see how it works.

4) Orlando Magic: Overlooked? Maybe. But there is star power there, starting with Dwight Howard. The word on the street is he is primed for an even better season, but I am a little skeptical about this newfound toughness. I wonder why...

Offseason Summary: Hey, I’ll admit J.J. Redick was great against the Celtics last year, but that is an awful lot of money for backcourt guys off the bench with him and fellow former Dukie Chris Duhon (inexplicable signing there).

Player to Watch: I always think Rashard Lewis is the key to Orlando. If you shut him down, the Magic can’t win. Simple as that.

5) Oklahoma City Thunder: Is it possible Kevin Durant is being overhyped after his amazing run at the World Championships? Maybe, but these guys are good. They took the Lakers to the brink last year and added the size up front to compete with them this year. I think people might be too high on them, but for good reason.

Offseason Summary: Will Cole Aldrich make a difference in his rookie year?

Player to Watch: Everyone knows what Durant and Russell Westbrook bring, but how about former Celtic pick (a stretch, true) Jeff Green? He is playing for a contract and gives the Thunder a third scorer to supplement the other two stars. He is capable of some big games, and will be a key factor in the growth of the Thunder.

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