Once the Los Angeles Lakers reloaded their roster this off-season with new starters Steve Nash and Dwight Howard along with new bench players Antawn Jamison and Jodie Meeks, many believed that the Lakers were the new team to beat in the Western Conference.
Well Chauncey Billups of the division rival Los Angeles Clippers doesn't share the same sentiment as the rest of the league:
"They are trying to stack the deck over there, but I tell you what - I'm very pleased with my team and what we've been able to do and I will just say this - don't nobody scare me, man," said the former Piston with a chuckle.
Though the Lakers made the bigger headline move, the Clippers have made drastic upgrades to many different positions on their roster. The additions of Lamar Odom, Jamal Crawford, Grant Hill and the return of Billups should make the Clippers a legitimate team to be reckoned with as they could possibly contend and hold their own well with the likes of the Lakers and the rest of the Western Conference.
But as of now this is all speculation before the new season starts because at this point it's uncertain how well the new Clippers additions will mesh with the old.
Odom is no stranger to the Staples Center and should fit with his new team well, but also may falter in his game once again still feeling the sting of being traded from the Lakers.
Crawford was a very nice pick-up for the Clippers as he is the perfect addition to the team with his scoring ability and versatility to play point and shooting guard positions. As of now it has yet been determined whether or not he'll be starting or coming off the bench, but his role will be viable to the Clippers success.
Hill will be turning 40 next season and right now he's the biggest question going into next season. You'd have to wonder if age is really going to catch up to Hill this time being that he can't benefit from the Phoenix Suns medical staff any longer.
As of right now, the Lakers still hold the crown for top team in L.A., but there's no telling how both of these teams will fair in the upcoming regular season.
Should be entertaining to watch as the battle of L.A. just got all the more interesting.
