Will the league suffer a lockout hangover with fans?

You can’t rule out the possibility that some fans will be so turned off by the lockout that they might not rush back to the league. But the Christmas Day start and subsequent shortened season will mean that the NBA will be the marquee league in the US. By the time the finals roll around, it will all be forgotten.

Where will Orlando Magic superstar Dwight Howard end up? And if traded, when will it happen?

Contrary to Magic’s claims that they will not trade Howard, in all likelihood he will be wearing different colours at some stage this season. If they do not trade Howard, they risk losing him for nothing in free agency, and look how that worked of for Cleveland.

As of right now, it seems the Nets are the frontrunners. But, I still think he’ll be a Laker. Purely because it is almost impossible to imagine the Lakers not making an all-star acquisition after being so close to getting Chris Paul, and especially after giving Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks for almost nothing.

Best off-season pickup?

This may be showing my Knicks bias, but I say Tyson Chandler. Chandler was the defensive anchor of the Mavericks last season, and many players openly credited him with transforming the mentality of the side. The Mavs were once upon a time a run-and-gun team that were held back by a sub-standard defense. That sounds eerily reminiscent of the current New York Knicks.

But the Miami Heat signing Shane Battier cannot be forgotten. Battier can play superb defense and make deep jumpers, but he also brings experience and those much sought-after intangibles to Miami.

Which team is going to make the biggest jump this year?

Call me crazy, but I have the Sacramento Kings as a potential play-off team in the Western Conference. The Kings ended last season 22 games out of the play-offs, so they have a massive leap to make, but it’s possible. If Tyreke Evans stays healthy, he can lead a dynamic young core of DeMarcus Cousins, J.J Hickson, Marcus Thornton, Jimmer Fredette and Jason Thompson. If they get on a roll, they’ll be dangerous.

But the easy answer is the Los Angeles Clippers. After acquiring star point guard Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets, they will become one of the most exciting teams in the league. They went 32-50 last season and missed the play-offs; this year I’d expect the Clips to be somewhere near .500 and they should sneak into the play-offs.

Which team will slide the most?

The Boston Celtics for mine. People saw last year just how dangerous it is ruling out the Celtics, but this year it looks like a certainty. Garnett, Piece and Allen are all a year older, Rondo (who is notoriously sensitive to criticism) will have to try and deal with lingering rumors regarding the Celtics trying to trade him, and most recently Jeff Green was ruled out for the year. It’s hard to see how they avoid a slide, especially considering their strong season last year.

In the same vein, expect the San Antonio Spurs to also fall away from last year.

Does LeBron James exorcise his Finals demons?

Absolutely. People forget that even though James struggled greatly in the Finals, he was dominant for large portions of the rest of the Heat’s play-off run. Also, he has spoken of how he has changed his mindset this season, and that he is no longer trying to prove people wrong. Personally, I don’t agree with his public apology tour in recent weeks. If he gets back to doing what he does best, he will dominate.

Hottest coaching hotseat?

Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro. Remember that this is only Del Negro’s second head coaching appointment, with his other (Chicago) ending in his termination. With the Paul addition – and after their early pre-season win over the Lakers – Clippers’ expectations are dangerously high. If Del Negro starts slow, he’ll quickly find himself on the way out.

How will ‘Aussie’ Kyrie Irving fare?

Even though the ‘Aussie’ link to Irving is incredibly tedious, he will more than likely be referred to as an Australian in our media. On the court, it’s possible that Irving’s rookie campaign plays out similar to that of Washington’s John Wall last year. Wall should’ve been Rookie of the Year (Griffin shouldn’t have counted as a Rookie) and he put up very impressive numbers in a relatively poor team. Irving was impressive in his opening pre-season game with 21 points and six rebounds; a good start.

Better LA team: Lakers or Clippers?

The Clippers are going to be the popular pick this year (expect to see an influx of Griffin/Paul jerseys) but the Lakers will be the better team. Sure, they lost Odom, but they still have two All-Star caliber big-men, a former Defensive Player of the Year at small forward, and of course Kobe Bryant. I’ll take a team led by one of the league’s top ten players of all time, that will be hungry after last year’s play-off exit, over a team built around a point guard with bad knees (Chris Paul) any day.

Who wins MVP?

Kobe Bryant

Which team will win the title?

Miami Heat

Liam Quinn is a first-year Bachelor of Journalism student at La Trobe University.  You can follow him on Twitter: @LiamQuinn23