ESPN

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.

More fan blogs

Fan pictures

Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd throw complete games to avoid the "SportsNation" TV bullpen.

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).

Should the Yankees be worried after losing to the Angels last night?
The Yankees cycled through their bullpen, including Mariano Rivera, and lost in Anaheim. Of course, they still lead the series 2-1.

Which would you rather find at a party?
Would you rather have snacks or a Nets player? For $25,000, fans can get courtside seats and a one-hour appearance by a player at an offcourt event.

Is selling beer in a stadium's bathroom a good idea or a bad idea?
Redskins fans can refill with the full-service beer man offering suds to them on their way out of a stadium bathroom.

Which do you find more surprising?
Are the 6-0 Broncos, who went through a summer of turmoil, or the 0-6 Titans, who won 13 games last season, a bigger surprise?

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.

Michelle Beadle and Colin Cowherd tee off for a $10 million paycheck 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).

Should the Nets be on LeBron James' short list?
The King hasn't said anything recently to cause us to doubt his Cleveland loyalties, but the Nets are getting a new Russian billionaire owner.

Would you hire a former great player to coach your team?
Wayne Gretzky is the latest superstar player to fare poorly in management. His record in Phoenix: 143-161-24 with no playoff appearances.

Who has been more impressive this season?
The Cardinals are on the verge of wrapping up the NL Central. Have you been more impressed with Albert Pujols or St. Louis' pitching?

Do you enjoy player trash talk?
Randy Moss and the Jets defense are exchanging off-field barbs. We see the talking, even if we can't hear what the players are saying, almost every game.

Do you like Jay Leno's new show?
Many of the critics have been unkind to the former "Tonight Show" host in his new, earlier time on NBC. What's your take on Leno?

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.

• Rank: Put your own spin on the draft by ranking the classes

SportsNation is not impressed with Rodrique Beaubois or Ahmad Nivins. The former is a French point guard and the latter a 6-foot-9 forward from Saint Joseph's who averaged better than 19 points a game as a senior. They're also the only members of the Mavericks' draft class that SportsNation voters ranked behind that of the Magic. The only problem? The Magic didn't make any picks Thursday night. Now that's a tough crowd.

• Draft Winners: Wolves and Spurs. Voters decisively shouted down concerns about the Wolves taking back-to-back point guards, ranking the team's effort behind only that of the Clippers. The Spurs didn't pick until the second round, but landing DeJuan Blair moved them all the way to fourth in SportsNation's rankings.
• The Nation thinks both Rubio and Flynn start; Minnesota not so sure.
• Draft Losers: Nets and Raptors. Fans panned the Nets for taking Terrence Williams. The No. 11 pick netted the team a ranking of No. 20 on the night. That was still better than the Raptors, who turned No. 9 pick DeMar DeRozan into a No. 22 ranking from De-voters. Curiously, neither was viewed as the biggest lottery reach.
• The good news is there may be a team worse than the Nets next season.

“

Rubio is exactly what is wrong with the nba. If a player comes out of the nba with the fancy dribbles and no jump shot, they would diss him as a street baller. I have Yet to see a shooting highlight from mr. rubio. not one jump shot.

” -- doodieoutlaw

“

I guess I'm not as smart as I thought I was. This Blair thing has me puzzled. I remember thinking that the Dorsey kid from Memphis was a stud also. I haven't seen him play in a game yet.

” -- adeeblack

• Vote: What's the impact of all the big trades in the NBA this week?

We'll get back to the actual draft selections in a bit, but frankly, aside from new Timberwolves general manager David Kahn putting Matt Millen and Jon Gruden to shame by stockpiling people who play the same position in a matter of mere minutes, the week's real drama involved players who long since had their moment on the podium with David Stern.

We're talking trades -- and not just mentally talking, as Shaq seems to prefer.

Vince Carter is in Orlando, Richard Jefferson is in San Antonio, Shaquille O'Neal is in Cleveland and Thabo Sefolosha is in Oklahoma City. And if you don't think that last one matters, you've obviously never listened to anyone with an Oklahoma accent.

• A 'Nation of one? Florida almost alone in thinking more of Carter than Shaq.
• Chat wrap: See what Stepehn Curry, Ricky Rubio and others told SportsNation.
• Fan groups: Cleveland Cavaliers fans | Orlando Magic Hoops | San Antonio Spurs

“

I have a feeling [the Magic] aint bringing back turkoglu now.with the money that howard,carter,and lewis are making,I cant imagine them giving him the kind of money he thought he was going to get last week.

” -- nspe33

“

Get ready, Cleveland. [Shaq] willl be fat and out of shape when camp starts, he'll have to play himself into shape, and he'll be injured the first 1 - 1 1/2 months of the season. Just like every other team he has ever played for! Bank it!

” -- THEBOOTGUY