Let's cut right to the chase: the Warriors are completely outmanned in this division. That's the bad news. The good news is that they have a decent chance of not finishing last, again.

Fear the Lakers. This is Phil Jackson's second season in his second stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, and we can just feel all the pieces coming together for him, bad hip and all. Kobe will be Kobe, which is a good base, but look for Lamar Odom to have a two-handed tomahawk of a year. In the other corner of the triangle, well, that's why the Lakers are going to be really tough this year. They have several guys that can step in and be the number three man. Luke Walton, Aaron McKie, Vladimir Radmanovic, even Maurice Evans can be that missing final ingredient.

And the Lakers have size. In addition to stiff Chris Mihm and unfulfilled Kwame Brown, Phil Jackson now has sevie Andrew Bynum, and this dude is going to be a load. Ronnie Turiaf offers even more depth on both ends of the floor.

The guards are the team's weak link, but with Kobe in the mix, that weak link is strong enough. This is very close to being a complete team, and you can be certain that the Zen Master will have them well centered by April.

Phil Jackson will have the Lakers smoking championship dope come playoff time. Photo from sactownroyalty.com