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Editor's note: These are one man's opinions, not official InsideHoops.com predictions.

This summer was full of commotion in the league, from superstars moving across the continent to not-so-super of stars getting paid the big bucks to switch uniforms. With all the happenings, it is really difficult to foretell who are going to be the REAL contenders this upcoming season. Yes it has only been a little over a month since my Pistons beat the Purple and Gold for the NBA championship, but it is still intriguing to think who will be playing at the end of next April. So who’s it going to be?

The Eastern Conference is somewhat easier than it’s counterpart out west, so we will touch on it first. Actually it is going to be fairly easy; the East playoff teams of next year will be more or less same as this year:

Of course the Pistons will be making another trip to the “ship”, so all we need are seven more teams. Four more givens are Miami, Indiana, the Knicks and Nets (even sans Kittles and Martin, J. Kidd makes Jersey a top 3 team in their division). Boston and Milwaukee were in last year, and while Milwaukee should place again, Boston isn't a sure thing. Main contenders to replace them are the Magic and the Lebrons. Also, since the Hornets are no longer Easterners, there is an open spot. That spot belongs to the Wiz, with super stud PG Gilbert Arenas at the helm of this young squad they are sure to surprise a few teams. So there it is, the Eastern conference playoff teams for 2005. Now onto the West:

The Western Conference is much more difficult to predict. Again, the eight teams from last year are still going to be possible contenders, but two of them -- the Lakers and Mavs -- made dubious choices this summer. But, did these moves make them worse than Golden State, the LAC’s, Seattle or Portland? Probably not… But what about Utah, the Suns and newbies New Orleans? Don’t get me wrong, the Mavs still have a strong nucleus, Dirk is an eminent force and he has a lot of talent around him, but their point guard, or lack there of, is definitely an issue. The loss of Steve Nash is a huge blow to the team; regardless of the abundance of talent they have, someone has to distribute rock, and Antoine Walker, if he's still with the team, shouldn't have to be the main guy to do it. With that said, here's who may make the playoffs in the west next year:

San Antonio, Minnesota, Sacramento, Denver, Houston, Memphis all return to the post-season. So between New Orleans, the Lakers, Utah, Dallas and Phoenix (who all have the makings of playoff teams) we need to pick two. Going against the grain, I have to say that the Lake-show will be ending early next season. Even with #8, a few other starters with ample talent and a young and able (but erratic) bench, they probably won’t have the cohesiveness they need to play past mid April. Utah and New Orleans have very good teams, but the Jazz point guards are not good enough yet and the Hornets big men are not big enough to carry them. Mr. Magloire was an all-star in the East but won't be anything special in the West. So the last two playoff spots belong to Dallas and Phoenix. As stated, the Mavs still have the talent, but they are far from the cream of the crop as they have been in the past. Meanwhile, the Suns are progressing back to a true contending team. With a young core of Stoudamire, Marion, and Q- Rich; combined with Nash at the point, the Suns are just a few rugged role players away from being considered part of the western conference elite.

Hopefully the season is as interesting as this fun off-season has been.