Last season, Danny Granger improved his game to the tune of 19.6 ppg, 6.1 rbpg, which is pretty impressive considering he only averaged 13.9 ppg the prior season in about the same amount of minutes. Yet, his improvement wasn’t such a big surprise. After all, Granger is a 6-9 230lbs small forward whose versatility resembles that of Scottie Pippen. Going into last season, Granger was a heralded the small forward of the future for Indiana.  

There are several players who many believe will have breakout seasons this year. Though they haven’t shown much yet and a breakout season isn’t guaranteed for any of them, their improvements are anticipated by numerous experts.

Elton Brand might be in the City of Brotherly Love, but he’s not the only big man traveling to the East Coast. Veteran NBA center Theo Ratliff is starting his second stint with the Philadelphia 76ers, eight years removed from his first stay with the team.

In his 13-year career, Ratliff has been noted as a “journeyman”, but that titled has only recently been valid. Theo has played some significant roles on teams in Atlanta and Portland, but is most fondly remembered for his time with the 76ers between 1997-2001. He was a defensive menace, while also contributing more than 11 points per game in his four-year stint with the club. 

Tim Duncan might be the lead pilot on the San Antonio Spurs’ plane, but Manu Ginobili is pushing Duncan for co-pilot honors. Problem is, Ginobili won’t get to show off his All-World form until December.

A left ankle injury limited his mobility in the 2008 NBA Playoffs, but Ginobili’s re-aggravation of the ankle during the Olympics was what prompted the team to seek surgery as a likely option. Although the surgery was successful, the Argentine swingman will miss almost a quarter of the Spurs’ season. 

If there’s any team that least deserved the No. 1 pick, it was the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have a team capable of winning a round in the playoffs, but some bizarre circumstances led to their failure to make the playoffs.

The season started with rumors of Kobe Bryant coming to Chicago in exchange for much of the Bulls’ frontline. Luol Deng admitted that the rumors eventually became a distraction, and they never seemed to move on from that episode.

At this point, it’s difficult to decipher how the 2008-2009 NBA season will play out, and the pre-season doesn’t typically give much indication.  With so many young players having breakout seasons, or breakout spurts, last year, making any kind of prediction for this year almost comes down to guesswork. However, there are certain circumstances that offer clues as to what one might expect.

Here are things to look for this NBA season.

The NBA is less than three weeks away, and I am so giddy.  Not only is there plenty of NBA action ready to go on, the Chicago Bulls look primed for a big run.

They got extremely lucky with landing the first overall pick and they are were able to clear up some major contract issues to keep a good core for the future.

The preseason is here, finally.  It's almost time for the NBA, under a month to go.  So who is ready, because I sure am.

We are ready to see all the dunks and all the stories unfold.  So what are some of these great stories?

Living in Indiana, I hated the New York Knicks’ teams throughout the 1990s. That being said, there was always one player I had respect for: Allan Houston.

In fact, when I found out he was making a return to the NBA, albeit with the Knicks, I couldn’t help but smile. Houston still has the sweetest stroke to ever come out of the University of Tennessee, with no disrespect to Chris Lofton. 

Almost 20 months ago, Shaun Livingston suffered one of the most gruesome injuries the NBA has ever seen. If you haven’t seen his layup attempt, I’d suggest steering clear any time soon, especially if you have been eating a meal within the last hour or two.

Now, though, the Peoria native has a chance to show why he was picked No. 4 in the 2004 draft by the LA Clippers. The Miami Heat signed Livingston to a two-year deal worth an undisclosed amount of money.

Any time you’re dealing with a 6’7” point guard who can distribute the basketball, you know you have a special talent. Livingston is obviously no exception to that rule.