Shots, Slams and Charges

- The Lakers looked very good opening night.  Mitch Kupchak?s trade appears to be the NBA version of the Herschel Walker transaction that the Dallas Cowboys made with the Minnesota Vikings, which ensured a Texas dynasty.  Lamar Odom is a top-20 player and had no trouble keeping up with Denver?s difficult frontline.  Caron Butler is also going to fit in tremendously with the Lakers, and has been too often overlooked as part of this deal.  The coming number one pick from the Heat will be useful as well.  The Lakers will win more games than the Heat this season and be a top-6 team in the Western Conference.

- I am setting the over/under on Kobe?s points per game at 33.  Kobe had 38 versus Utah on Wednesday, shooting 9 of 21.  They did lose though.  And they did one the night before when Kobe scored just 25.  The more points Kobe scores on any given night, the odds of the Lakers winning decrease.

- My Denver reaching the Finals prediction sure looks great, now that Voshon Lenard is out for the season.  Their big lineup will be a more intriguing story though.  

- The Knicks made their first four baskets on Wednesday night versus Minnesota, causing both the Long Island and Manhattan island to think that the their team was going to go undefeated.  Needless to say they surely won?t, but Jamal Crawford looked brilliant at times, and of course his shot selection needs to get sorted out.  Allan Houston?s starting job will probably not be there when he returns.

- The Houston Rockets are quickly 0-2, making them seem very vulnerable.  Losing to the champion Pistons is excusable, but a loss to the Raptors draws some serious questions.

- Dallas, on the other hand, is quickly 2-0.  This edition of the Mavericks is by far the best during the Mark Cuban/Don Nelson/Dirk Nowitzki era.  They may end up being the best team in the dominant state of Texas.

- Double overtime in Cleveland.  Artest scores 31 in a win.  Ilgauskas scores 35 and grabs 18 boards in the loss.  Lebron James better make sure he is tied up long term.

- Overrated team of the preseason: Memphis.  They lose by 12 at home to the Wizards, a team with four players suspended by the NBA.  The playoffs are in definite doubt for the Grizzlies.

- Brent Barry scored 16 points for the Spurs in his first appearance.  San Antonio has one of the best front offices in the league.

The Report from the Oakland Arena on Opening Night:

- Nick Van Exel scores 20 clutch points in Portland?s three-point win, much to the dismay of the fans in Oakland, who were booing his every touch of the ball.

- Chris Mullin gives Jason Richardson a huge contract on Monday, making him the cornerstone of the Golden State franchise.  On Wednesday, Mike Montgomery substitutes Calbert Cheaney in for Richardson for defensive purposes.  If JRich isn?t thought of as good enough to be on the floor during all moments of crunch time, then the Warriors probably shouldn?t have given him a six-year extension and let Mickael Pietrus run the 2 spot.  Montgomery and Mullin need to be on the same page.

- Mike Dunleavy, Jr. had a decent look on a last-second 3-pointer, which would have tied the game.  I don?t mind that he missed the shot, it was a very difficult shot.  His reaction was a little too carefree, as he quickly jogged into the locker room, giving a couple of teammates high fives, with the kind of body language that suggested it was too tough of a shot to execute.

The columnist can be reached at Christopher.Reina@realgm.com.