The Rivalry Starts Today

West
The Western Conference is looking like it's going to shape to be a high flying conference, just like the NBA -- Paul Westphal (and Mike D'Antoni) would be proud. Traditionally the West has been about flash and dash. It looks like "Showtime" won't be leaving the West Coast anytime soon.

Nowhere is this entertaining aesthetic more true than Trieu's ironically named Sour Snails. PGs Steve Nash and Allen Iverson will be perfect complements in the backcourt as they speed their way to a flurry of points, assists, threes, and stls. And what about Roger's duo of Chris Paul and Joe Johnson? Both are stellar playmakers in their own right and with sweet shooting Rashard Lewis and Antawn Jamison spreading the floor, they'll be racking up the assists. Paul and Johnson are the Kidd and Pierce of their generation.

Two of this conferences' best teams will be Eric-L and Ping's core of swingmen. Ping has Paul Pierce and Vince Carter, two of the most well-rounded fantasy players out there (along with the equally explosive Richard Jefferson in a later round). Each are explosive and fully in their primes. The Half-Man, Half-Amazing Truth is that the Phanatics will be flying high out of the gates. Eric-L's team has Dwayne Wade and Tracy McGrady, who are just as talented and effective as Pierce-Carter. If McGrady can stay healthy, he's one of the top fantasy players in the game. I'd like to dub them "T-Wac." Don't forget that Eric-L's power forward Jermaine O'Neal isn't exactly a stick in the mud either.

As for Jon's Funk Coalition, they're ready to get into a shoot out every game with Michael Redd and Carmelo spotting up, while the passing genius of Lebron James finds them. Who needs rebounders when you ever only hit the bottom of the net? The sole Western team featuring any semblance of a traditional post power is Evan's, with Tim Duncan anchoring the middle. But even this team will be high flying as number zero Gilbert Arenas takes the ball coast to coast by himself or with the "Human Movie Trailer," Josh Smith, at his side.

East
It's a slightly different story in the East, where every team (save one) has a legitmate big man or 7-footer. The East is all about roughing up those flashy Western teams. The Bad Boy owners of the Midwest had a defensive philosophy ingrained into them at a young age so it's no surprise that they've pretty much cornered the market on stellar big men. In fact, cornering the entire market on up-and-coming big men is DJ Reno, who doubled up with both Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard. Thus, two of the most successful direct out of high school draft picks now get to play side by side and they'll punish any foes who dare to enter the lane (Brad Miller in Round 4 makes it three human trees in four rounds for Reno).

Understanding that balanced inside-out play can be the key to success, East owners Brian, Oliver, and Alvin all went big and small with their first two picks. Alvin took hometown hero Chauncey Billups, along with punishing power forward Elton Brand -- who both had career years last year and are sitting solidly in their primes. Brian's combination of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett pretty much covers every conceivable stat category in the game and with the addition of rough-n-tough Carlos Boozer and mini-KG, Boris Diaw, looks pretty damn formidable.

The really scary Gumby & Pokey combination is Kobe and Yao, who might very well become a real Lakers' combination if Jerry Buss can help it. Oliver's Italian and Chinese born talents are both (arguably) the best in the game at their position -- and Yao is finally showing how dominant he can be; and not just at math.

Proving that he's all about flexibility, Eric-A went right to work putting Mr Fantastic, Dirk Nowitzki (a true standout in all 9 categories) and Jason Kidd (the most versatile PG of his era) together. In addition, this year's X-Factor, Amare Stoudamire, might just return to his dominant self and provide another inside force in the East. This superhero themed team is crazy versatile and crazy dangerous. Adding multiple defensive player of the year Ben Wallace could insure the BLKs title for Eric-A.

One team that might be even more BLK crazy is Jose's duo of Shawn Marion and Andrei Kirilenko. The Matrix and AK47 will wreak havoc in every defensive category and then some. In rotisserie leagues both are usually top three players. How will their talents mesh together? It looks like J's team will not rough you up on D as much as finesse their way to stopping you from achieving your goal. The addition of point guards Mike Bibby and Andre Miller point this team toward an untraditional non-points based emphasis. The Pooh Bears are my pre-season pick for most interesting squad to watch.

So, which conference is better?... Can't we all just get along?