There are those in the NBA who love to dream big.

You have new owners like Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks), Howard Schultz (newest owner with the Seattle SuperSonics) and Stan Kroenke (who now has the Denver Nuggets), and one year into it, Michael Heisley moved the Grizzlies from the glitter of Vancouver to the blues of Memphis.

Tim Duncan and the Spurs might be the Lakers' only competition this season.(AP)

They are like children with very expensive new toys.

Then there are those who are living the big dream, namely Phil Jackson. He has been a head coach in the NBA for 11 years. He has eight NBA titles to show for it, six with the Chicago Bulls. Now entering his third season with the Los Angeles Lakers, a ninth title and third in a row seems inevitable unless Shaquille O'Neal or Kobe Bryant suffer injuries going into or during the playoffs.

After all, they did win 23 of their last 24 games on the way to the title, including 15-1 in the playoffs.

"We had a very competitive year last year ... although I know it didn't look like it in the playoffs," Jackson said. "Obviously we hit a stride and played very well, probably as well as any team has in the playoffs.

"We have a very difficult conference to go through. It will be as difficult as it was last year. I've set a goal of 60 wins. It's something I expect this team to do. It's something they fell short of last year (56-26). We'll go from there and hopefully find that momentum to get a couple of winning streaks, which we never did last year until the very end."

It just didn't matter -- even though the San Antonio Spurs had the best record in the NBA last season, providing them with the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and home-court advantage over the Lakers in the conference finals. The Lakers crushed them by an average of 22.3 points in the four-game sweep. And this season, the Lakers have added veteran guards Mitch Richmond and Lindsey Hunter, with young 6-10 forwards Samaki Walker and Jelani McCoy.

Gone are veterans Horace Grant, Ron Harper and Greg Foster.

"We've tried to replace them with experienced players that gave give us some leadership and knowledge to play in playoff situations," Jackson said. "We've also come up with a little younger version and hopefully more athletic."

Seems just fine, actually. The Spurs figure to be their top competition again. Led by the power duet of Tim Duncan and David Robinson, plus the addition of free agent Bruce Bowen at small forward, they will once again have the best interior defense in the NBA ... particularly with the advantages of legalized zones to some extent. But aging Steve Smith replaces Derek Anderson at big guard, and Antonio Daniels will have to grow into the starting responsibility at point guard.

The Sacramento Kings are still a very good team with Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic and the addition of Mike Bibby, but they lack size. Those pesky Mavericks, starring Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash, have added some veterans for ballast, but will it be enough to steal home court from the irrepressible Utah Jazz, with ageless John Stockton and Karl Malone, with Donyell Marshall and impressive rookie Andrei Kirilenko getting better all the time?.

It will be a difficult task for the Philadelphia 76ers to defend their Eastern Conference championship. Allen Iverson and Aaron McKie have missed all of training camp, having waited until the week before camp to have much-needed minor surgeries. It didn't make sense, but those were the decisions. They've added Derrick Coleman, Matt Harpring and Vonteego Cummings. Gone are Tyrone Hill and George Lynch. Once again, Eric Snow is recovering from surgery, this time a broken hand.

The turnover with the Sixers opens the door for the Milwaukee Bucks, who added Anthony Mason, subtracted Scott Williams and dealt Hunter to the Lakers for Foster. Glenn Robinson's ankles are continuing to bother him, so Tim Thomas will make the big step into the starting role at small forward.

But they are not alone in pushing the Sixers. Depending on who you ask, the Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets are also in great shape. The Magic appear to have a healthy Grant Hill back in action after two ankle surgeries allowed him to play just four games last season. Tracy McGrady became a superstar in his absence, but nagging back problems are quietly causing major concerns. Rookie of the year Mike Miller broke a toe but should be back sooner than later, and the additions of Patrick Ewing and Horace Grant give them size and experience.

The Raptors re-signed four free agents, including an extension for Vince Carter, and added Hakeem Olajuwon to the fold to make them more excited than ever before. And the Hornets were glad to be rid of Coleman and are hoping the growth of Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn carries the team past the second round for the first time, even though the franchise appears on the verge of a move to Louisville, Norfolk or St. Louis.

It would be easy to keep rattling down the list of improved teams -- the Atlanta Hawks the favorite one in this corner -- and we would be remiss to exclude Michael Jordan's return with the Washington Wizard as the most intriguing new story of all. Nonetheless, this season will ultimately come down to whether anybody in the league can handle Shaq, Kobe and Co. long enough to prevent a third "three-peat" for Jackson and his first with the Lakers.

"We know that the regular season can be a grind," Jackson said. "It's something that you have to go out and face the season with the apprehension of how can we put ourselves in the best position to enter the playoffs with good health and a nice situation where we're sitting with home-court advantage."

Or, as was the case last year -- and probably will be this year, too -- home court doesn't even matter.

Final preseason Power Rankings for Oct. 29:

1. Los Angeles Lakers (1): Everybody is getting into shape. Shaquille O'Neal has bounced back from toe surgery faster than expected, and he's already pushing Kobe Bryant for MVP. Yeah, go ahead and challenge them. Make their day.

2. San Antonio Spurs (2): The Spurs appear to be in fine shape and certainly the top challenger to the Lakers until we see the confidence level of Tim Duncan and David Robinson. All eyes are on Antonio Daniels and how he handles being the guy with the ball.

3. Milwaukee Bucks (7): Now that the Bucks have signed Anthony Mason, and budding star Tim Thomas has replaced achy-breaky Glenn Robinson in the starting lineup, they appear to be the team to beat in the East. At least they think they are.

4. Toronto Raptors (5): The Raptors are healthy and have more self-esteem than ever before. Their point guard situation still isn't great, but they really have everything else in place to win the East as Vince Carter continues to bloom.

5. Dallas Mavericks (6): It's hard to believe the Mavs really merit being this high, but for now, it will work. Nobody else has looked particularly strong in the preseason, so let's let them play their way down ... unless they don't.

6. Utah Jazz (8): This is typical of the Jazz, in better shape than anyone else to start, will be more consistent coming out of the blocks, and then we'll see. Keep an eye on hot rookie Andrei Kirilenko, who is drawing raves.

7. Sacramento Kings (3): It's tough to get excited about the Kings with Chris Webber riding the bike with a sprained ankle. And we still have to wonder about their lack of depth up front. But they can score, fast, and they're better with Mike Bibby than Jason Williams.

8. Philadelphia 76ers (4): With Allen Iverson and Aaron McKie still trying to get into playing shape after surgery, they'll probably be slow coming out of the blocks. As for the addition of Derrick Coleman, there will be no in-between ... either great, or they'll want to dump him immediately.

9. Charlotte Hornets (11): The Hornets have come a long way lately, and they feel even better with Derrick Coleman's large shadow gone. Unlike the past, nobody is talking about them, and that makes them dangerous.

10. Orlando Magic (9): Healthy, this team could win the East. But their footing right now is about as stable as the Everglades. Grant Hill sprained his foot, Tracy McGrady hurt his back and Mike Miller broke a toe ... and Patrick Ewing and Horace Grant are the old guys!

11. Portland Trail Blazers (10): They clearly have a big hole in the middle with Arvydas Sabonis' retirement, and even though coach Mo Cheeks handed the ball to Damon Stoudamire and said it's his, there are question marks lingering around this team's psyche.

12. Minnesota Timberwolves (14): Every time it seems we should be writing off the 'Wolves as a team on the cusp of disaster, coach Flip Saunders spins a new angle that works. Wally Szczerbiak at shooting guard is going to work and make them better.

13. Phoenix Suns (12): The pieces aren't quite fitting together yet for the Suns; it took nearly the entire camp for Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway to be healthy enough to play together. If they stay that way, they'll get better as the year progresses.

14. Miami Heat (15): Pat Riley keeps adding veterans, and with his history, that's a good thing for the start of the season. How long they'll last and the future of Alonzo Mourning's health are something else. But look for them to get off to a surprising start.

15. New York Knicks (13): This oddly constructed team has no chance in the big picture but will be tough along the way because of individual talent. As long as Marcus Camby is in and out of the lineup, they'll be hard pressed to win more than 45 games.

16. New Jersey Nets (23): There is a buzz around the East that these guys are going to make the playoffs. Kerry Kittles has been physically sound, Jason Kidd has all his teammates happy, and if they stay healthy, they could be just as good as those guys across the river.

17. Atlanta Hawks (18): The Hawks haven't been particularly healthy for all the new pieces to fit together seamlessly, but they do have more talent up front than just about anybody in the East. They've got a chance to be really good before spring even arrives.

18. Houston Rockets (17): Even without much help up front, the superior guard play of Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley will prevent these guys from being embarrassed. In fact, they'll probably get better as the season wears on, and even be pretty good if Kelvin Cato and Kenny Thomas develop.

19. Seattle SuperSonics (16): Already Vin Baker (back) and Calvin Booth (ankle) are shaky, and even with them, they were thin up front. Good thing Gary Payton gained 10 pounds of muscle this offseason, because he'll need to carry even more of the load.

20. Indiana Pacers (20): Coach Isiah Thomas never lets on to exactly what he has or what he's doing, but suffice it to say he wants to develop his young talent, with rookie Jamaal Tinsley starting at point guard. If he listens, he'll pass to Jalen Rose and Reggie Miller, a lot!

21. Los Angeles Clippers (21): A lot of what happens to the Clippers will be contingent on how well Jeff McInnis and Keyon Dooling handle point guard. Both extremely quick and talented, these guys will shoot to hit .500 this season and just might do it.

22. Boston Celtics (22): The Celtics are continuing to get better, and if early indications that Kenny Anderson has experienced a renaissance at point guard are right, they've got a great shot at making the playoffs behind Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker.

23. Denver Nuggets (19): With Antonio McDyess out until around January following knee surgery, this team is going nowhere. They have a lot of pieces that just don't fit, and the biggest one may just be coach Dan Issel, who appears to have run out of patience, again.

24. Washington Wizards (24): Michael Jordan played many more minutes than anyone expected in the preseason, working his way into shape. He's still a fabulous talent, although not with the same explosiveness as his last time around. They'll be tougher early in the season.

25. Detroit Pistons (25): New coach Rick Carlisle appears to have decided on a rotation, and he's counting heavily on aging guard Dana Barros to give them stability. Rookie Rodney White is in the mix, and Corliss Williamson might have already played his way out of it.

26. Golden State Warriors (27): The Warriors are loaded with young talent, but everybody seems to be off one position. Rather than force-feed Larry Hughes as a point guard, trade center Adonal Foyle for one and watch Hughes and Jason Richardson fight it out at the off guard.

27. Cleveland Cavaliers (26): As expected, center Zydrunas Ilgauskas is out for months as his foot continues to heal (maybe), and not even the energy of new coach John Lucas can get this group of average players to win against the far superior talent around them.

28. Memphis Grizzlies (29): The Grizzlies are excited about what they're getting already from rookie Shane Battier and Pau Gasol, but they can't find any takers for Bryant Reeves, and Michael Dickerson isn't particularly pleased that they haven't extended his contract with the Oct. 31 deadline.

29. Chicago Bulls (28): At second glance, there was no reason to pull the Bulls out of the basement. Their coy veterans are too old, their youngsters are too young and everybody else in between isn't any good. So they're rebuilding? Didn't we just go through this three years ago?