The National Basketball Association begins its 59th season tonight with the Denver Nuggets visiting the world champion San Antonio Spurs. Several changes have been made heading into this season. As the NBA begins another year, here are 10 compelling questions that will need to be answered?
1. Can the reunion of Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles help the Lakers recapture some of their lost glory?
2. Can Larry Brown make the New York Knicks a playoff team while turning legendary ball hog Stephon Marbury into a team-oriented, pass-first point guard?
3. How long will Pat Riley wait before he takes away the head coaching reins of the Miami Heat away from Stan Van Gundy?
4. Can the Miami Heat win a world title with the addition of perennial bad boys Jason Williams and Antoine Walker to go along with Shaq and Dwyane Wade?
5. Can Ron Artest behave himself for an entire season so the Indiana Pacers can contend?
6. Are the world champion San Antonio Spurs even stronger with the addition of Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel?
7. Are the Phoenix Suns going to fall back to the pack without injured star Amare Stoudemire out of the lineup for at least half the season?
8. Is this the year when LeBron James makes his postseason debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers?
9. Who will be the best-dressed player in the NBA with the league’s new dress code in place?
10. Will former No. 2 overall pick Darko Milicic ever get some meaningful minutes with the Detroit Pistons?