Most Valuable Player - Chris Paul

Chris Paul led his Hornets to the Western Conference semifinals last year and went 7 games with the San Antonio Spurs. I think this year New Orleans has the potential to be number one in the West, and as a team they are aiming for nothing short of a finals appearance. Last season, Paul raised his points, assists and steals numbers and was a stud in the playoffs. He made Jason Kidd look old and he had one of the best positional matchups with Tony Parker. I expect Paul to have a phenomenal fourth year. Whereas in seasons past, Paul was considered a top 5 point guard, he'll sit at the top of any of those lists this year.

The Spurs started training camp yesterday with a few new faces and as we did last season, we'll profile one player per day to give you an inside look at the players competing to wear the silver and black. Anthony Tolliver was signed by the Spurs this summer after standing out in this years Vegas and Rocky Mountain Summer League. However Tolliver's journey to the NBA has been full of travels. Originally undrafted, in 2008 he played for the the Iowa Energy of the NBDL and played for the EisbA¤ren Bremerhaven in the German Basketball Bundesliga. Also in 2008, he was the 2nd round draft choice for the Butte, Montana Daredevils of the CBA. Also, in 2007 he found a spot with the Cleveland Cavaliers but was waived later that year after only playing 3 games.

NBA Outsider's season preview series comes back to the Western Conference as we take a look at the Pacific Division. There has been no shortage of action in the Pacific during the offseason, with Baron Davis bolting for LA and Corey Maggette now in Golden State among other moves. Will Kobe's pinky be a factor? Will the Suns finally get over the hump and does anyone else in this conference have a chance at competing for a playoff spot when the season ends? Let's go team by team with my projected order of finish in the conference.

NBA Outsider's season preview series comes back to the Western Conference as we take a look at the Pacific Division. There has been no shortage of action in the Pacific during the offseason, with Baron Davis bolting for LA and Corey Maggette now in Golden State among other moves. Will Kobe's pinky be a factor? Will the Suns finally get over the hump and does anyone else in this conference have a chance at competing for a playoff spot when the season ends? Let's go team by team with my projected order of finish in the conference.

NBA Outsider's season preview series comes back to the Western Conference as we take a look at the Pacific Division. There has been no shortage of action in the Pacific during the offseason, with Baron Davis bolting for LA and Corey Maggette now in Golden State among other moves. Will Kobe's pinky be a factor? Will the Suns finally get over the hump and does anyone else in this conference have a chance at competing for a playoff spot when the season ends? Let's go team by team with my projected order of finish in the conference.

Here are a few jobs currently available from the Spurs Front Office:

Company: San Antonio Spurs

Positions Available: Center, Small Forward, Shooting Guard

Location: San Antonio, TX

Salary: Overpaid

Job Description: Looking for Center, small forward, and 2 guard. Experience not necessary but must be 25 yrs old or younger. If you have more than 10 yrs in the NBA, please do not apply. Please send resumes to: R.C. Buford, General Manager.

According to several sources including ESPN and the San Antonio Express-News, 12-year NBA vet Damon Stoudamire may join the Spurs as early as tomorrow, when he officially becomes a free agent. Stoudamire's buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies was finally completed late Monday, and although it seemed Boston was the front-runner to land the sharpshooting guard, that all changed when San Antonio became part of the equation.

Every year, several deserving players are left off the All-Star rosters, and it seems fans, especially those in China, will make sure this year is no different.

The NBA's All-Star balloting system is broken. I understand it's a popularity contest, but since when was Shaine Battier popular enough to be fifth among Western Conference forwards. Probably since he began playing for Houston and next to Yao Ming.

Tonight, just months after celebrating their fourth championship in the visitor's locker room at Quicken Loans Arena, the Spurs start the season with game one of 82 in what they hope to be the season they win back-to-back titles.

Their first casualty: the Portland Trailblazers, who get to watch as the Spurs receive their rings and raise the fourth championship banner in the AT&T Center.

The San Antonio Spurs are not a dynasty. They never have been.

Sports is a realm traditionally meant to be resolute, clearly defined, a world where the scoreboard always trumps subjectivity, one where shaky ambiguity is seldom seen. There are rules -- even unwritten ones -- for how things work, how things are viewed. It's supposed to be simple. So long as we all keep our off the wall opinions and bleeding biases out of the picture things tend to remain simple -- too bad we never feel content to let them stay that way.

The Spurs will start the 2007-08 season on October 30 looking to accomplish a goal which they have not been able to reach in team history: a repeat. While they bring back most of the team that helped them add another Larry O'Brien to their trophy case at One AT&T Center, there will be plenty of teams looking to throw a wrench into their plans. Here's a look at the team that will be looking to lead the Spurs to their fifth tile.

Darius Washington is yet another in a group of guards the Spurs have invited to training camp. Unless Beno Udrih is on his way out, I see no reason why the Spurs invited so many guards and didn't invite people that may improve their depth at small forward or center. However, Washington is the only point guard they have invited.

Both Keith Langford and Anthony Lever-Pedroza are undersized shooting guards, and although Washington, 6-1, plays point guard, he's not a true point guard. But none of those reasons will stop me from rooting for the former Memphis guard.

He may not possess the skill set of a natural point guard and look to pass first, but there's plenty to like about Washington.

First, he could probably give Tony Parker some competition for quickest player currently in training camp. He has a quick first step, is great in one-on-one situations and looks to attack the basket, instead of spot up and shoot, although he has definitely shown the ability to stop on a dime and shoot a pretty accurate mid-range jumper.

The other thing I like is that he's a competitor and plays with a chip on his shoulder, and the Spurs could use a good young point guard with some fire in his belly. His reaction after he missed two key free throws during a game his freshman year at Memphis shows that he's very passionate and isn't just out there to earn a paycheck.

Just three days into training camp and Beno Udrih already has his first setback of the year. He broke his finger at training camp on Thursday and will be out for a few weeks.

He'll have to wear a cast on his left index finger and according to Pop, he won't be able to do much for three to four weeks.

Being the son of one of a former NBA All-Star couldn't hurt a guy's chances of getting a roster spot. But Anthony Lever-Pedroza, son of former Nuggets great Fat Lever, is in Spurs camp to earn his own way and battle it out to get a chance to fill the last roster spot on a championship team.

pedroza2Pedroza comes into camp off an impressive summer playing for the Mexican national team in the FIBA America's Championship. Mexico may not have won or secured a spot in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but Pedroza and team Mexico certainly opened some eyes, including a set of eyes that belong to the GM of the 2007 NBA Champions.

Keith Langford is one of the players who has been invited to the Spurs training camp to compete for a roster spot this season. The 6-4 former Kansas guard isn't exactly a household name, but in the age when someone like Ime Udoka goes from being on the roster bubble, to being a starter, to becoming a valuable free agent, it's important to keep track of all the prospects who may be putting on a Spurs uniform this season. Thus we give you, Keith Langford's training camp profile.

Langford is a 6-4, 215 pound shooting guard. He spent four years at Kansas where he averaged 14.4 points per game in his Senior year. He's known for his slashing ability and propensity to get into the lane. He is fairly quick for his size, and while my memories of his Kansas days aren't crystal clear, I do remember he was quite the scorer.