Q: Where's the love for the Celtics? Seems everyone is picking the Lakers to win it all just because Boston lost James Posey during the offseason. What gives?
— Brian Devlin, Attleboro, Mass.

A: The Lakers' bandwagon has nothing to do with who fell off the Celtics' express. The story in Los Angeles is the return of Andrew Bynum, the bulk that was so missing for the Lakers in last season's Finals. With Bynum back, it allows Pau Gasol to get back to his softer side, as a finesse power forward, not someone forced to bang in the blocks. Further, with Bynum in the Lakers' starting lineup, it allows for the shift of Lamar Odom to the bench, where he not only is off to a solid start in his campaign for the Sixth Man Award, but also anchors a second unit that, with the likes of Luke Walton, Sasha Vujacic, Trevor Ariza and Jordan Farmar, rivals the starting units of several lower-tier teams.

That said about Los Angeles, the concern with the Celtics is whether the championship hunger has been sated. While Kevin Garnett seemingly never will be sated, Paul Pierce certainly allowed himself to get drunk in championship success. Does he really think he's the NBA's best player? Yes, he had a remarkable playoff run, but when else has he been that good? As for Ray Allen, he simply is not an elite shooting guard at this stage. And remember, Boston not only lost James Posey in the offseason, it also lost P.J. Brown, who certainly had his postseason moments in stabilizing the power rotation. Boston's bench is thin. Therefore, the doubts.

Q: The Cavaliers added guard Mo Williams during the offseason, but can they and LeBron James win a championship this year?
— Larry Love, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

A: Mo Williams, difference-maker? Hmm. Yes, Williams provides something closer to a scoring point guard than LeBron has had in years, but it's not exactly as if he was the engine that drove the Bucks to playoff consistency. In fact, Williams, in many ways, is more of the same for the Cleveland, which continues to add good-but-not-great supporting players alongside LeBron. He is another Ben Wallace, another Delonte West, another Wally Szczerbiak.

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Translation: He is not a player who raises the concern of the defense to the degree that it must consider abandoning the notion of swarming LeBron. That's what Dwyane Wade had in his championship season with Shaquille O'Neal. It's what Kobe Bryant received last season in Pau Gasol. It's certainly what Pierce was bestowed with in Garnett and Allen. What Cleveland needs, foremost, is to get back to featuring Zydrunas Ilgauskas at more than just the start of games. In the East, he remains somewhat of a beast. Then it needs to stop collecting nickel and dime parts and, instead, pool resources for the kind of splash that will prevent LeBron from swimming away in 2010.

Q: Despite their slow start, do the Magic have the pieces to make a deep playoff run this year?
— Patrick, Jacksonville, Fla.

A: The real issue is whether the Magic has the "piece." With last year's addition of Rashard Lewis, Orlando found the scoring counterbalance for Dwight Howard. With this summer's acquisition of Mickael Pietrus, there is the defensive stopper necessary against East rivals such as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson. What Orlando lacks, however, is someone to make it all click. Jameer Nelson may be a lot of things, but the starting point guard for a championship contender does not appear to be one of them, not with his streaky shooting, penchant for the most untimely of turnovers.

That's what made it somewhat confounding this offseason, when Orlando allowed both Keyon Dooling and Carlos Arroyo to depart as free agents. Yes, Anthony Johnson possesses veteran savvy, but it seemingly requires a full shot clock for him simply to make it from one end of the court to the other. A move for a proven point guard would make sense on so many levels for the Magic, who do have the type of assorted pieces that just might allow for a deal to get done (take my J.J. Redick, please?). Can Jameer Nelson take you to the playoffs? No question. Can Jameer Nelson lead you to a title? Nothing he has done on the court to this point indicates such potential.

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