Los Angeles - The Los Angeles Lakers believe they have what it takes to repeat as NBA champions. Some Western Conference foes feel the same way. Led by superstar Kobe Bryant, Spanish star Pau Gasol and record-setting coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers won 65 games last season and vanquished the upstart Orlando Magic in five games for their 15th NBA title.
Now the question is, can they do it again?
"I think we have a better chance than anybody else, because we have so many guys coming back that'll figure in to what we did," said Jackson, who won his record 10th title as a coach.
"We have the talent to do it," said Bryant, who earned his fourth ring and first Finals MVP award. "I think were good enough."
Clearly the class of the West, the Lakers forced contenders to make moves to improve. But the champs didn't stand pat, signing mercurial two-way forward Ron Artest after Trevor Ariza left via free agency.
"The Lakers made themselves a better team," Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan admitted. "Their team has been together, and they have won a championship and showed a great deal of resilience in doing so."
There are questions about adding the volatile Artest to a cohesive group, but there are no doubts about his ability to dominate a game on both ends of the floor.
"He's a powerful player and he can play two or three positions if they want to use him there," Sloan said.
Artest will start at small forward in a nucleus that also includes emerging young centre Andrew Bynum, veteran point guard Derek Fisher and sixth man Lamar Odom. With solid role players and Jackson's motivational skills, the Lakers remain the favorites in the West.
That doesn't mean they won't encounter challenges. The San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks all won at least 50 games last season and added significant pieces.
And that group doesn't include the Denver Nuggets, who pushed the Lakers to six games in the conference finals.
"The Lakers and San Antonio are probably the top two teams in the West," said Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, whose team added top overall draft pick Blake Griffin and will try to crash the playoff party.
"Denver is a team that's going to be in the mix. After that, Dallas had a good summer, and Portland are the next two."
Led by big man Tim Duncan and "French Flash" Tony Parker, the Spurs welcome back Argentine ace Manu Ginobili, who is healthy again after missing the playoffs with a recurring ankle injury.
They added offence by trading for versatile forward Richard Jefferson and frontcourt depth by signing veteran big men Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff and drafting DeJuan Blair.
The Trail Blazers are coming off their first playoff appearance since 2003 and signed veteran point guard Andre Miller to serve as distributor for a young core that includes All-Star guard Brandon Roy, improving big men LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden, and Spanish sensation Rudy Fernandez.
Led by German juggernaut Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks had a busy summer, acquiring forwards Shawn Marion, Drew Gooden and Tim Thomas and drafting French speedster Roddy Beaubois.
Jason Kidd, Josh Howard and Sixth Man Award winner Jason Terry are still in place, but coach Rick Carlisle needs to incorporate the new pieces quickly, if the Mavericks want to challenge the Lakers.
"I can see how over the course of the season they are going to be a really tough team to match up with," Fisher said.
The Nuggets have been overlooked a bit because they didn't make a splashy off-season move. But they still have the leadership of high-scoring Carmelo Anthony and All-Star Chauncey Billups and a fleet of physical big men led by Brazilian centre Nene.
"We liked the core group of guys that we have," Nuggets vice president Rex Chapman said.
The Jazz and New Orleans Hornets are in the next tier. Utah hopes to be healthier than it was last season. New Orleans dealt Tyson Chandler for fellow centre Emeka Okafor, who joins All-Stars Chris Paul and David West.
Missing from the contenders are the Houston Rockets, who are without Chinese superstar centre Yao Ming for the entire season (broken foot). Tracy McGrady (microfracture surgery) returns in December, but Houston may not have enough to make the playoffs.
That leaves at least one post-season spot for the Clippers, who are counting on a healthy return from guard Baron Davis; the Phoenix Suns, who traded ageing superstar Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland; the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have a young team led by emerging star Kevin Durant; and the Memphis Grizzlies, who added scorers Allen Iverson and Zach Randolph to a group needing direction.
Bringing up the rear will be the Minnesota Timberwolves, who could not convince Spanish sensation Ricky Rubio to leave Europe; the Golden State Warriors, who stripped Stephen Jackson on his captaincy after he demanded a trade; and the Sacramento Kings, who are in the throes of rebuilding.
Whether contender or pretender every team in the West will be targeting the defending champs.
"It's different when you are on top of the mountain and you have teams gunning at you," Odom said. "You even have to worry about the Warriors and the Kings because they'll be playing against the best team in the league."
