(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
It sure has been a fun off-season hasn't it?
We've see the NBA's elite jump into ELITE status with a capital "E", while the scrubs have fallen into SCRUB status with a capital "S".
Most fans can generally agree on five teams that have a legit chance of winning it all: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, and San Antonio Spurs.
They have all made big-time moves to upgrade their roster this summer.
Unfortunately, unless your team's name is the "Dream Team", your team will always have issues and factors to address.
Here are the keys for these five teams:
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Shaq-time (no, not his TV show): Can Shaquille O'Neal stay healthy and play reasonable minutes; especially in the post-season?
No matter how you feel about Shaq, you have to admit the Cavs got the 15-time All-Star for next to nothing.
Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, and a second-round draft pick did not mean much.
Still, a lot of question marks surround the 7'1 center.
We all saw how the Diesel did not play the first of back-to-back games in Phoenix. Is that all he will have to miss in Cleveland?
Even when he is suited up, how many minutes can he give Mike Brown? He could play starter-like minutes (34 or so) or he could split the time with Big Z (24/24).
But the problem is that the Cavs need the "Big Witness Protection" on the court for both offensive and defensive purposes.
We are all excited for the old Superman vs. new Superman fights to come.
The Royal Court: Can Shaquille O'Neal, Mo Williams, and the rest of the kingdom give the king enough help?
Cleveland's offensive struggles were well-documented in the Eastern Conference Finals.
While we witnessed the King dominate, his royal court withered.
Mo Williams, specifically, promised victory over the Magic. After he choked, who could the Cavs expect to step up? Delonte West? Anderson Varejao? I think not.
But give the front office credit, they went out and got several players to remedy this.
Shaquille O'Neal will help in the paint and you can add Leon Powe as well.
Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon will help on the perimeter with shooting and slashing.
Also, all these players are stellar defensively.
BOSTON CELTICS
Gotta See KG: Can Kevin Garnett stay on the court?
We all saw how vulnerable the Boston Celtics were without the Big Ticket last year.
They are not an elite defensive team and lose offensive efficiency as well. Garnett must be there to quarterback the defense and provide his post prescence.
The Celtics did get some insurance in Rasheed Wallace, but 'Sheed is not Garnett. No one is.
Senior Members: Can the Celtics' aged core stay healthy and contribute at a high level?
Garnett's injury was no doubt a result of how hard he worked on every single possession of every single second of every single game.
At his age, those hustle plays add up. The same goes for Pierce, Allen, and Wallace, who are all on the wrong side of 30 and past their prime.
If a long-term injury happens to one or more of these four, Boston's chances at the 18th banner plummet.
ORLANDO MAGIC
Chemistry Class: Can the new Magic members gel in with the team and repeat last year's success?
Orlando is the one team in this list that has actually lost one of their most important, if not the most important, member; Hedo Turkoglu.
They also lost the point guard that led them to the Finals.
Besides Vinsanity replacing him, we also have new additions in Matt Barnes, Brandon Bass, Jason Williams, and Ryan Anderson.
Jameer Nelson may not be a new player, but he did miss significant time in Orlando's Cinderella playoff run. He was not the point guard that got them there.
Therefore, he is also somewhat of a "new acqusition".
The Magic have a lot of gelling to do. Hey, at least they'll all be in training camp.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Run Run! It's Ron-Ron!: Can Ron Artest control himself in one of the wildest cities in the world?
Ron Artest is undoubtedly be the biggest troublemaker in the NBA. It's bad news for Stern, but good news for the fans.
It is quite entertaining; or at least I seem think so.
With Artest's replacement of Ariza, they are looking even more dangerous.
We're going to send you the most entertaining NBA articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
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