In the interest of, well, interest, it's not too early to search for new rivalries for the Lakers.

Portland, Sacramento and San Antonio are all worthy adversaries. But when none of them could take a game off the Lakers in the playoffs last season, there went the fun.

Why not the Dallas Mavericks? They're a young, athletic team. And if they can't hang with the Lakers on the court, they'll at least make things interesting in the day-off interviews.