I''m actually a bit more excited about this year than I've been in a while. When you go into a season and the basic question is "which seed, 6, 7, or 8?" it's not exactly a zap to the pleasure center in one's brain. Losing in the first round was boring in the post-contending '90's and it was boring in the injury-riddled recent past. Hoping one or more of the team's rookies develop into solid players has more promise and more fun to it. Even in games where several of them stink, it'll be an interesting stink, like the one that came off your first viewing of "The Phantom Menace"; OK, now we know.

I printed out the schedule today (I'm slow to switch gears into basketball season) and had a few quick thoughts.

1: It's a dang shame the Blazers don't play the Knicks until New Year's. Because the fun of that, besides erasing the memory of last year's Nate-dooming shellacking, would be seeing Sheed and Camby. Inevitably, one or both will be sidelined with joint issues, toe fungus, or (in Sheed's case) general apathy by January.

2. As a transplant living in Minnesota, I look forward to Blazer/TWolves games 'cuz I can see 'em on cable. Then they developed a star who's sorta-Oregonian in Love (I'm not sure Lake Oswego qualifies as genuinely a part of Oregon.) Add to that this year the Roy factor, and old buddy Adelman. But besides those, the Timberwolves are returning Andrei Kirilenko to the league, and I just hope someone on TV mentions his oddly famous marital arrangement. You might recall that Kirilenko's wife gave him a pass to "shop around," as it were, one day a year on his birthday. This is either the greatest advance in the history of matrimony or a bit disturbing, depending on one's point of view, and quite possibly one's gender. According to Wikipedia, they're still married, BTW.

3. The Sacramento Kings are now playing in what's called the "Sleep Train Arena." Of course, the story of the Kings lately and the diabolical Maloofs is gruesome enough in any case, particularly for any NBA fan who enjoyed the days of Divac/Webber/Williams and the screaming Arco faithful, but this has to be the worst corporate sponsorship, ever, particularly for a struggling franchise. Why not "Nyquil Court" or "Ambien Garden?" Have the Cavs do a deal with "MoveOn.org" or "Relocate.com" (yes, there is such a website, not worth looking up.) Rename the Rose Garden "WebMD Center" while we're at it. Come to think, Orlando's "Amway Center" is pretty sad, too, in its own fashion.

Anyone else have their own nonsensical observations/predictions? Let your sharing, caring, and (alas) no swearing flow.