Let NBA Season Commence!

After the long wait, the NBA season has finally arrived! It's going to be interesting to see who will be the Beast of the East and the Best in the West.

The Orlando Magic made some shocking moves this offseason, including a trade that acquired the services of phenom Vince Carter. Can Orlando get over the hump and return to the Finals this year?

Or will "The King" Lebron James finally get his ring with Cleveland's acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal? Cleveland has a lot to prove after being exposed by the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals last year but things don't look to be going well with all the controversy surrounding Delonte West.

The East, however, continues to get stronger. The Boston Celtics, led by Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rasheed Wallace, are looking for more of a leader out of young, scrappy guard Rajon Rondo. He was very impressive in the Playoffs last year, outdoing Chicago's rookie phenom Derrick Rose in many facets of the game. Will he build on that or will the point guard's decision to enter into the 2010 Free Agent pool doom his career?

The battle for Best of the West begins in Texas. The San Antonio Spurs probably had the best offseason of all-time. The quest to create a younger team started out by drafting Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair, who is a workhorse and tough to guard. Then, they acquired Richard Jefferson, who was lost in Milwaukee all least season. Now, they have a roster who can work around Tim Duncan and take some of the stress off of him.

The next destination is where the ring ceremony just ended, Los Angeles.  Kobe Bryant and the Lakers have a lot more potential than they had last year. With Ron Artest thrown in the mix, it definitely makes this team one that is hard to play against. Artest adds another defender who can protect the basket along with rising star Andrew Bynum and veteran Derek Fisher. If team chemistry is at an all-time high come Playoff time, this team will be unstoppable again.

If there was a sleeper team in the West that has a lot to prove, it's the Portland Trailblazers. Clutch shooter Brandon Roy looks more poised than ever to get the Trailblazers over the hump. While they're probably one of the youngest teams in the league, there is so much potential on this team. With Rudy Fernandez,  Travis Outlaw, LaMarcus Aldridge, Martell Webster, and Greg Oden, talent isn't hard to come by and this team has a good opportunity to be a Top 5 team in the West. Consistency should be the word of the day for these players.