Hip hip hooray – the NBA is here once more

I am officially a happy camper.

After months and months of tireless waiting, the NBA season kicked off a few weeks ago – an annual holiday within my household.

Most sports fans consider football season to be the peak of the sporting calendar. But I am completely opposite. I like football season a ton, but I much prefer basketball – the sport that I consider to be the best in the world.

So with the NBA back, my body has been glued to the couch each night to watch many games from across the league. Here are a few things that I think will happen as the season matures.

WITH OR WITHOUT KOBE, LAKERS WILL STRUGGLE

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a state of rebuilding. Currently, Kobe Bryant is out with a torn Achilles’ tendon – an ailment he sustained at the end of this past season. Without him, the Lakers’ roster is mostly comprised of Pau Gasol and the seven journeymen – players that have largely failed on other rosters across the league. Without Kobe, the Lakers are a train wreck. But even with him, they will struggle. The Black Mamba has a lot of miles on his knees, ankles and feet. There’s no telling how he will return from his Achilles injury. Even if 100 percent, this roster just doesn’t have enough quality talent to make any sort of push for the NBA Championship.

INDIANA WILL BE ABSOLUTELY DOMINANT

The Indiana Pacers are like the prize fighter patiently awaiting their title bout. The Pacers have been ousted by the Miami Heat in the playoffs for two-straight seasons now – each series a highly competitive affair. But with a little more seasoning and talent added to the roster, we fully expect Indiana to be back in a big way this year. After watching every team in the NBA in the first two weeks of the year (hooray NBA League Pass), I think Indiana may be the premier team in the league. They have playoff demons to overcome, but the Pacers surely look like a squad that won’t go down without a fight.

NBA’S ROOKIE CROP WILL PROVE UNIMPRESSIVE

This year’s class of rookies isn’t overly impressive – that’s putting it mildly. No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft Anthony Bennett looks lost and unable to compete at the highest level of competition. Other guys like Otto Porter, Cody Zeller, Alex Len and Steven Adams look lost in the shuffle, as well. A few bright spots have come out of the class, including standout 76ers point guard Michael Carter-Williams and Orlando Magic shooting guard Victor Oladipo. But when one looks at the whole picture from afar, it surely seems like the 2013 NBA Draft will be far more sizzle than steak.

CLEVELAND WILL IMPRESS LeBRON, OTHER FREE AGENTS

The Cleveland Cavs have an impressive roster. With superstar Kyrie Irving surrounded by a mix of veterans like Jarrett Jack, Anderson Varejao and Andrew Bynum and also young bucks like Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters, it surely seems like Cleveland is a playoff team in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. All of the team’s successes this year feel like a bonus, because the team has its eyes firmly focused on the future. With Akron-born LeBron James heading toward free agency this summer, many speculate that James will consider returning to his hometown team. They surely have a roster that could facilitate victories for the King as he approaches the second half of his career.

SEVERAL LINE UP FOR LOTTERY

The reason why the NBA is currently so good is because of the depth of quality teams within the league. But there surely is a huge gap between the rich and the poor within the league. The NBA is chalked full of awful basketball teams – squads that are intentionally tanking to try and get a crack at some of the many talented players that will likely be in the 2014 NBA Draft. I really believe that myself and a couple of my buddies could compete against the Boston Celtics this year. Likewise, we’d probably go a full four quarters with the Philadelphia 76ers.

ROCKETS WILL EMERGE AS WESTERN CONFERENCE POWER

OK, OK, I admit that this is a bit of a homer pick. The Houston Rockets have long been my NBA team. Anyone close to me probably has learned to have hatred for the team because of my constant bragging for any noteworthy thing the squad does. But after a great offseason, Houston is loaded and is ready to challenge the best teams in the NBA’s stacked Western Conference. New addition Dwight Howard has combined with budding superstar James Harden to create arguably the league’s best one-two punch. Chemistry is a huge issue in the NBA, so we don’t expect Houston to win it all this year. But they will surely be in the mix. And that, my friends, makes me happy. This will mark the first tine in a while that my team will be involved in meaningful playoff basketball.

THE EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPION

The Indiana Pacers are ready to take the next step. No team in the NBA has more talent from the top of their roster to the bottom. Likewise, no one in the league has as much to prove – to themselves and also the rest of the league. I know the easy thing to do is to pick Miami, but I see the Heat as another year older and more susceptible to wear and tear. Give me Indiana in an epic series – a defeat that will permanently break up Miami’s Big Three.

THE WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPION

The Los Angeles Clippers had the best offseason in the NBA. Adding shooters like Jared Dudley and JJ Redick will give the team the offensive efficiency that it has lacked in years past. Adding coach Doc Rivers is also a huge upgrade – as anyone would be to hapless former coach Vinny Del Negro.

THE CHAMPION

Call me crazy, but I just think the Pacers have too much depth. Their team reminds me of the Detroit Pistons that won in the 2000s.