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Lakers fans are understandably excited about the new season, and the defending champs are a popular choice to repeat among bloggers in the ESPN.com community.

"I've never been more excited for the opening of any season, any sport," blogs kurtnaphansen. "The combination of being on the heels of the Lakers winning the NBA championship, of all the trash talk from Cavs, Celtics, Magic, Spurs and even Blazers fans, and of a very new interesting development with the addition of Sheed to Boston, Shaq to Cleveland and Artest to LA."

Below are fan blogs and predictions about the season, which tipped off this week. Click through to respond. If you don't already have an ESPN profile, create one now and start blogging.

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Give Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd the ball when it's fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line on "SportsNation" TV.

Argue the hot topics of the day and vote on the biggest stories from the world of sports. The show airs on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. and midnight ET.

Note: Broadcast voting results as of this afternoon (ET).

Is cursing a necessary part of life?
Serena Williams got caught using some profanity this past weekend. Tiger's been known to drop an expletive, and don't get us started on coaches.

If you are a Pats fan, how do you feel after the 25-24 win vs. the Bills?
The defense looked shakier than in years past. Tom Brady looked a little rusty. And New England needed a small miracle to pull out the win.

Are the Raiders better than you originally thought?
Oakland, everybody's favorite to finish third or fourth in the AFC West, battled the Chargers into the final seconds of the game Monday night.

Would you donate your brain to science?
After they die, the brains of NFL players Matt Birk, Lofa Tatupu and Sean Morey will go to a Boston University program that studies sports brain injuries.

Will team cost cuts disrupt the NBA's competitive balance?
Heat employees, including team president Pat Riley, head coach Erik Spoelstra, assistant coaches, scouts and others have agreed to pay cuts.

What is "SportsNation" TV, and how do you make your voice heard? Read about the new ESPN show that features fan opinions with calls, tweets, polls, rankers and more.

• Vote: Take the Quentin Richardson tour of the country.

Apparently Quentin Richardson comes with a warning that if you do not forward him to a friend within 30 days, great misfortune will befall you. Although considering the Clippers, Grizzlies, Knicks and Timberwolves are among the teams he's been "employed" by since last playing an NBA game, maybe the curse is more of a retroactive deal.

Richardson is not a star player. His impact on the upcoming season probably ranks somewhere in the vicinity of Glen Davis remaining in Boston or Leon Powe heading to Cleveland. But we can't help ourselves; Richardson's tour, paper tour though it may be, of NBA cities is worthy of a blind Greek poet (preferably of the deceased variety).

Let's run through this. On April 15, Richardson scored nine points in 11 minutes as the Knicks closed the regular season with a win against the Nets. On draft night, the Knicks dealt him to the Grizzlies (for Darko Milicic of all people). Then the Grizzlies traded him to the Clippers, who traded him to the Timberwolves, who just traded him to the Heat.

Considering Richardson shot 39 percent from the field last season, we're starting to wonder if Washington, D.C., really has the most popular "Cash for Clunkers" program.

• Voters don't think Dwyane Wade is sticking around beyond this season.
• Groups: Real Miami Heat Fans | Minnesota Sports Fans | Memphis Grizzlies fans

“

Ok, Q must be filming a reality show.

” -- ZEEKERINI

“

I feel bad for Q now. He's no where near as bad as Mark Blount. The Heat might as well throw a parade just for getting rid of that guy

” -- Dwayne_Johnson23

“

Q must have some serious frequent flyer miles. He's gonna be a good bench warmer for the heat.

” -- laranadepaz

It seems safe to say Allen Iverson will someday find his way to Springfield and the Basketball Hall of Fame. He's already No. 16 all time in points in the NBA, and he's about one good season away from passing Patrick Ewing, Jerry West, Reggie Miller and Amazing Grace Smith. Heck, it was just a year ago that SportsNation ranked him on the cusp of its own Redeem Team (Joe Dumars begs to differ).

Now if only we could figure out what city will come before the not-so-gem of Massachusetts on his career itinerary.

Iverson is hardly alone in NBA circles in his current quest for employment, but with each Andre Miller and Lamar Odom signing, he's starting to stand out more and more. It's one thing for Jamaal Tinsley to need work; it's another for a Hall of Famer who is younger than Steve Nash.

A month ago, SportsNation thought the Heat would be the best fit of the teams rumored to be in the mix. Now the Knicks are in play and rumors have extended all the way to Greece (hey, at least SportsNation thinks he'd be as good an ambassador for basketball as David Beckham has been for soccer in the United States). Surely some team will give Iverson the mid-level exception and 18 shots a game, right?

• 62 percent of SportsNation believes Iverson can still contribute for a contender.
• Beyond the Nation: Bill Simmons makes a case (No. 50) for an Iverson comeback.
• Beyond the Nation: Iverson talks about his image and the nature of celebrity.

“

AI/Mayo/Gay/Rando lph/Gasol. Not a bad starting 5 that can definitely run and put up some points. They would be a better team with this move. Warrick could still be good off the bench for them though. They need D with that lineup from somewhere.

” -- XmanY

“

Iverson fans need to give it up. We're not saying he's not great. He's great. But you have to have a pretty bad team if he can do it more good than harm. And while this is something he could fix if he wanted to, it's getting very late for that dog to learn any new tricks. I'd love to see him do it. But even then, he wouldn't be proving the "haters" wrong - he'd be proving that he should have been listening to them all along.

” -- The Pragmaticist

All Dwyane Wade wants in order to secure his stay in Miami is a team capable of contending for a championship again. And for our part, we salute his willingness to put aside his contractual concerns in pursuit of wins. What's that? That's all he wants, as long as you don't count a max contract as part of what he wants? That doesn't seem quite as selfless.

Becoming the latest athlete to publicly play armchair general manager (and in his defense, he's more qualified than Ryan Bruan), Wade suggested his willingness to let the Heat empty the bank vaults is linked to the team getting good in a hurry. Of course, he may have a point, at least if you're one of many thinking Michael Beasley and Jermaine O'Neal are not championship-caliber sidekicks.

• And not that SportsNation isn't confident in the Heat's ability to accomodate their star, but, well, they aren't confident in the Heat's ability to accomodate their star. More than half of voters expect Wade to bolt after this season.
• As for reports that the one player who could push even Wade to second fiddle in next summer's free agent market won't be moving, SportsNation isn't buying reports that LeBron James told Trevor Ariza he's staying in Cleveland for the long haul.
• Vote: Is Wade more likely to hit the road than LeBron?

“

I know wade is a good guy (from what i know), but I think there are sometimes ball players should worry about doing their job (playing ball) and staying out of the economics. I know D wade is a special player, but if the owner thought he could fill the seats with a player making half of Dwade money, its only a good business decision. Its great that he cares about winning. But in times like these, i think it makes sense for players to the be quiet and take the money.

” -- yodaspeaks

“

Ooooh I never wanted to imagine the possibilities but after hearing this I can hope he comes home to Chicago. C'mon Wade you have Rose at the point so therefore never a double team on you.

” -- GridIronMaidens