Not sure that qualifies as actual "weather," but it does represent a preseason poll taken of various ESPN folks.  The question: How do you picture the West shaking out next season?  The general consensus: With the Lakers at the top, sporting 55 wins.  Obviously, this opinion is based in part on the notion of Andrew Bynum being healthy.  But hey, at least the "experts" believe in the potential for a return to the Finals (if not a trophy).

Interesting notes: Houston, with its newly Artest-ed lineup, sits at No. 3 with a bullet.  Denver misses the playoffs, with Portland taking its ocho slot.  Phoenix and Dallas move to making the postseason (I could see that happening, but I think Portland will finish higher than at least one, if not both).  For those keeping track of L.A.-based squads, the Clippers garnered the "Spinal Tap" spot.    

In the East, Boston is expected to remain where it left off at regular season's end.  Philly jumps up a bit.  Miami jumps up A LOT.  The party, already fading upon Josh Childress' overseas departure and the teeth pulling required to retain Josh Smith, ends abruptly in Atlanta.

Also, an article from CBSSports.com's Gregg Doyel about the steady demise that is Shaq's public image.

AK

And likes what he sees. 

Not content to rely on a game of telephone for his info, Mitch Kupchak hopped a flight to Atlanta for a closer look at Andrew Bynum's workout regimen, which includes running, weights and roundball drills.  The bird's-eye view has left the Lakers GM with no worries over Bynum's readiness come camp's opening or lingering problems from the surgery needed to smooth out rough spots from the knee dislocation.  Instead, Kupchak is talking up Bynum at 100% strength when the preseason officially kicks off, citing visible improvements in areas such as conditioning, mobility and the kid's body in general.  Obviously, we'll know nada for certain until he's on the court in October, but it's certainly a positive report, one in line with previous ones of a full recovery expected. 

As in "officially," I was just informed by the Lakers' media relations department.  Of course, there's a big difference between being a late second-round draft pick with a non-guaranteed contract and a late second-round draft pick who's actually on the team.  For the time being, I'm still thinking he won't be on the roster come opening day.  But this would be the first step in bucking the odds, so good for Crawford.

Trivia alert! Crawford's agent is Noah Croom, whose younger brother James and I graduated from high school together.  On a scale of 1-10, I'm guessing the blogosphere's collective interest in this tidbit rates around a point-seven.

AK

This is no good for Golden State.  No Monta Ellis until (generously) late November after he suffered a severe high ankle sprain that will include a session under the knife.  For a team that's already bubblish at best in most people's eyes (or mine, if nothing else) when it comes to assessing Western Conference playoff contenders, a month or so without one of their two returning 20 ppg guys seems like a real problem. New Bay Area resident Corey Maggette can help pick up that scoring slack, but he offers no substitute in the play-making department. Looking over their roster, Captain Jack might actually be their best lead guard option, which strikes me as both intriguing and a train wreck in the making.

In any event, a bummer for NorCal hoops fans.

AK

Sorry for the late notice.  There's a technical test of sorts that unfortunately needed to be scheduled during our time slot.  Nothing we or the NowLive folks can do about it.  But we'll be back Sept. 3.  Until then, figure out another way to waste time at work for an hour on the company's dime.

AK

He got one from us for the NBA season, now Kobe Bryant gets one for his showing in Beijing from David Friedman at 20 Second Timeout.  I'm talking about a straight "A." 

"...Team USA came up short in the three previous major FIBA competitions (2004 Olympics, 2002 and 2006 FIBA World Championships) primarily because of a lack of on-court leadership, poor defense and the inability or unwillingness of anyone to step up in crucial moments in medal-round games. [LeBron] James and [Dwyane] Wade each had superb tournaments in the 2008 Olympics -- very similar to their performances in the 2006 FIBA World Championship -- but the difference this time around was that Bryant provided precisely what Team USA had been missing in the three areas mentioned above ..."

Solid praise, well-deserved.  The Olympics were, in total, a great showing on and off the court for Kobe.  He was a strong presence, representing himself, USA Basketball and the Lakers with a great deal of class. 

BK

These are lean economic times, but should you have a little cash squirreled away in your sports paraphernalia budget -- and really, after groceries and medical emergencies, most of us have that at the top of the list -- I give you this signed Kobe Bryant Team USA jersey, all framed up and ready for display.

For a cool $995 (plus S&H), you can even circumvent the bidding!

BK

(UPDATE: Talk about your fantastic timing.  I just got an e-mail from the Lakers media relations department.  Sun Yue is now officially under contract.  It's a "multi-year" deal, which I'm guessing means "a pair of years."  More details as they come, but that news was awfully convenient in arrival).

Laker-to-be (presumably, if nothing else) Sun Yue also garnered himself some praise for his work during the recent Olympic tourney.  The guard led all Chinese players with 2.3 dimes per contest while chipping 8.1 ppg, stats that combined with the kid's handle, size and general versatility to help create some buzz about his NBA prospects.  Chris Paul--certainly a reputable source for point guard praise--liked what he saw.  Yue also earned admiring words from a certain future teammate, one who's seal of approval is always a plus. 

"I think he's very talented, actually," said (Kobe) Bryant. "I was very impressed by him. I think he has great size, great length, good shooting touch, good ball handler, good vision, good pace.  I was surprised at his size right off the top. He was able to handle the ball. I tried to test him a little bit, see if he could go left, go right, that sort of thing. So I like him."

Team USA's mission was to bring a gilded medallion from China home to the States.  Said mission was accomplished last night (this morning, if you're watching on American TV) with a 118-107 victory over Spain.  It was considered a foregone destiny by many heading into tourney that the Redeem Team (meh, but everyone else seems to find the name catchy) would bring closure to the Americans' 2004 disappointment.  Fate indeed went fulfilled, but not without a fight and some enemy scare tactics.  Credit Spain--playing without starting point guard Jose Calderon (of Raptors fame)--for hanging tough with the U.S.  They were ultimately outmatched, but not by such a margin that they couldn't make things uncomfortably interesting down the stretch.

"AK/BK--How about a happy birthday thread/blog for KOBE BEAN BRYANT!?!?"

Ask and ye shall receive.

Happy 30th birthday to Kobe Bryant.  I'm guessing he hopes the gift bounty includes some gold bling to go along with this complimentary column from Yahoo's Adrian Wojnorowski.

AK