Over the past two years, Antetokounmpo has put up incredible numbers despite working within an offense that often lacked perimeter shooting and flow. New coach Mike Budenholzer should fix those problems for him. Plus, Antetokounmpo is a talented and versatile defender who presents a stronger two-way MVP case than many of the other top candidates, including James.

D'Antoni admitted last year that he resigned as coach of the New York Knicks in 2012 after Anthony gave the front office an ultimatum: him or me. That, however, was more than six years ago, and much has changed since then.

For one, Anthony was expected to carry the Knicks to title contention but won't face nearly the same pressure with the Houston Rockets, even if the end goal is the same. Still, at some point this season, the strength of the Anthony-D'Antoni relationship will be tested.

How well it holds up amid the high expectations in Houston should impact the rest of the Western Conference.

LeBron James is probably the greatest player ever. But is he great enough, at age 33 and with a ton of heavy miles on his frame, to take a truly weird roster to the playoffs in a Western Conference that remains murderous, even with the ongoing issues in San Antonio (injuries) and Minnesota (drama)? For all of James' greatness, I honestly don't know.

The Los Angeles Lakers won 35 games last season and probably will need at least 50 wins this season to reach the playoffs. In Cleveland, LeBron had All-Star Kevin Love beside him for four seasons and Kyrie Irving for three. In L.A., he doesn't have that kind of proven teammate. Don't bet against LeBron, the adage goes, but then again, the West is its own monster, as LeBron knows all too well.

As evidenced by the injury that kept him on the sideline in Games 6 and 7 of the Western Conference finals, Paul is the one player Houston can ill afford to lose, even with MVP James Harden on the roster.

While Paul has already locked in his four-year, $160 million contract, Irving will be looking for — at minimum — a similar payday with the Boston Celtics next offseason. A healthy Irving will dictate how far the Celtics advance this season, as well as the number of years (and total dollars) Boston is willing to commit next July.

eg. Paul is the one player Houston can ill afford to lose.

It's a new era for the Spurs, with the Big Three of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili all out of the picture. The realization that Patty Mills is now the team's longest-tenured player is scary, and how well new addition DeMar DeRozan fits San Antonio's system and culture is a legitimate concern.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will have to put together one of the strongest coaching jobs of his career to get San Antonio back where it has been seemingly forever.