Countdown to camp: NBA summer refresher

Sure, the Bears have played just two games, but it's time for NBA training camps to convene. The Bulls will host their media day on Friday, with the opening practice set for a day later at the Berto Center.

This is a good time, then, for a refresher course on the off-season. The NBA's summer carried a common theme: Most every contender added one key player, listed below (the Spurs had two). Now which one will make the biggest difference?

L.A. Lakers - Ron Artest
Cleveland - Shaquille O'Neal
Boston - Rasheed Wallace
Orlando - Vince Carter
San Antonio - Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess
Dallas - Shawn Marion
Atlanta - Jamal Crawford
Portland - Andre Miller

Western Conference runner-up Denver is probably the one real contender of last year missing from the list. The Nuggets added Arron Afflalo and Malik Allen, while losing starting two guard Dahntay Jones to Indiana. I could have ended the list of additions at five, since no one really expects Marion, Crawford or Miller to lead their new teams to untold glory. But they could all help. Or hurt.

Among the top five teams, Carter might have the best chance to make a difference. Sure, he was frequently seen going through the motions in Toronto and New Jersey during the past five years or so, but Carter certainly has the skills to be a 30-point scorer and late-game finisher. At age 32 on a winning team, maybe we'll see more Vinsanity than we're used to.

At the same time, Orlando had to give up more to add a new player than any of the teams listed above. They cleared salary by letting Hedo Turkoglu jump to Toronto as a free agent, then sent promising guard Courtney Lee and point guard Rafer Alston to New Jersey in the Carter trade.

The Lakers took the biggest risk by replacing free agent Trevor Ariza (now in Houston) for Artest. I don't expect Artest to cause any trouble, but he's not as good a defender as he was early in his career and showed a tendency to shoot too much last year with the Rockets. If Artest is content serving as Kobe Bryant's all-purpose wingman, everything should be fine. If he tries to average 20 points a game, coach Phil Jackson will have his hands full.

The Cavs gave up nothing of significance to get O'Neal and he's on the final year of his contract, so it's a low-risk move for Cleveland. The question is whether O'Neal will open things up for LeBron or just get in his way? At age 37, Shaq doesn't figure to improve the Cavs' defense.

Wallace coasted through last season and seemed to have little interest in doing any of the dirty work near the basket. He might hit a big shot or two, but Kevin Garnett's health is the most important factor in Boston's aging lineup.

The Spurs might hit it big with Jefferson and McDyess. It's a nice influx of talent, but the chemistry could be dicey. Jefferson will compete for shots with Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and maybe even Michael Finley. Jefferson also brings a strong personality to a quiet locker room.

New coaches: Kurt Rambis in Minnesota, along with new assistants Bill Laimbeer and Reggie Theus; Paul Westphal in Sacramento; Flip Saunders in Washington; Eddie Jordan in Philadelphia and John Kuester in Detroit. Kuester is the former Cleveland assistant often credited with improving the Cavs' offense last season.

The Answer was Memphis: After a rough landing in Detroit last season, Allen Iverson found a new home in Memphis. Besides selling more tickets, the Grizzlies hope A.I. will be more of a mentor to second-year guard O.J. Mayo than a shot-stealer. Iverson should be fine, but Memphis' addition of Zach Randolph in a trade with the Clippers made no sense.

Rockets grounded: Houston center Yao Ming is expected to miss the entire season with a broken foot, while Tracy McGrady could miss the first half of the season recovering from microfracture knee surgery. This might be a good time for the Rockets to retool with a lottery pick.

Rookie watch: Former Oklahoma power forward Blake Griffin, toiling for the Clippers, is the early favorite to become the second straight No. 1 pick to win rookie of the year, following Derrick Rose. UConn center Hasheem Thabeet went No. 2 to Memphis, followed by Arizona State guard James Harden to Oklahoma City.

Man in motion: Former DePaul star Quentin Richardson might have been the first person to be traded four times in a single summer. First, Richardson was traded from New York to Memphis for Darko Milicic, then to the Clippers for Zach Randolph, to Minnesota for Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith and Mark Madsen, before finally landing in Miami for Mark Blount.

More new homes: Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Chris Wilcox and Ben Wallace in Detroit; Emeka Okafor and Darius Songaila in New Orleans; Tyson Chandler in Charlotte; Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon in Cleveland; Mike Miller and Randy Foye in Washington; Drew Gooden and Tim Thomas in Dallas; Hakim Warrick in Milwaukee; Ramon Sessions in Minnesota; Jarrett Jack and Reggie Evans in Toronto; Jason Williams and Brandon Bass in Orlando; Joe Smith in Atlanta.

Still waiting: Restricted free agents David Lee and Nate Robinson (New York) remained unsigned as of Wednesday evening. Charlotte guard Raymond Felton took the one-year qualifying offer and will be unrestricted next summer.

Champs are favorites: The bottom line is the Lakers are still the team to beat, while San Antonio looks like their biggest threat in the West. Cleveland, Boston and Orlando still appear to be the best in the East, but all three could be vulnerable. The Bulls will be hoping to move into one of the top four slots in the East, while Washington, Detroit and Toronto are the mystery teams after making significant changes.