20253 <p>1. &nbsp;Is Blake Griffin simply Greg Oden 2.0? &nbsp;Bad news for Clippers fans. &nbsp;Don't count on him playing in 2009.</p> <p>2. &nbsp;Will Pau Gasol play on opening night? &nbsp;He's had perhaps the busiest 15 months of all professional athletes, dating back to the 2008 Olympics. &nbsp;He deserves a big break. &nbsp;We may not see him until next week. &nbsp;Either way, the Lakers shouldn't worry. &nbsp;Their opening 3 games are at home, with the only tough game on Friday vs. the Mavs.</p> <p>3. &nbsp;Who will be the man on the Rockets tonight? &nbsp;Look for Ariza to have a larger offensive role. &nbsp;But also look for this team to completely dominate the Blazers on the defensive end. &nbsp;I'd be very surprised if either team scores 90.</p> <p>4. &nbsp;Which Gilbert Arenas will show up tonight? &nbsp;Don't jump on the Wizards bandwagon just yet. &nbsp;The litmus test is to see if they are .500 come Christmas--with Arenas still playing.</p> <p>5. &nbsp;How many Kardashians will be at the Lakers game tonight? &nbsp;This may be the first marriage ever where I think I want it to end in a divorce. &nbsp;Lamar, Lamar, Lamar. &nbsp;I really don't want to be seeing 79 camera views of the Kardashian sisters every $#!@% Lakers game.</p> <p>6. &nbsp;Will Shaq play defense tonight? &nbsp;Sure. &nbsp;He might even play defense until Christmas. &nbsp;But he'll also want a slice of the offensive pie. &nbsp;Trust me, the less Shaq gets in 'bron's way, the better off the Cavs will be. This looks like a bizarre relationship between Shaq and Lebron that is getting dangerously close to being illegal in 37 states.</p> <p>The love affair won't last 'til Valentines Day, though. No way does Shaq's work ethic last that long, and when the Cavs are third in the East come February, LeBron better start LeTaking over his team again. Never underestimate the prima of Shaq's donna.</p> <p>Mmmmm...Raspberry Kool-Aid...</p> true 2009-10-27T08:00:50Z 97389 2 2009-10-27T15:50:34Z