LAS VEGAS – These Western Conference foes split their four meetings last season, with each club winning its two home games. However, the Trail Blazers covered the spread in all four meetings, with the ‘under’ cashing in both meetings at Los Angeles and the ‘over’ appearing during both matchups in Portland.

While the Trail Blazers have plenty of reasons to dream big this season, the largest is 7-foot, 250-pound Greg Oden. The starting center appears to be fully recovered from knee surgery and is ready to help the young, talent-laden Blazers make noise in the competitive Western Conference.

Portland is high on many analysts' lists as the "team on the rise" because it has an exciting young nucleus led by play-making combination guard Brandon Roy and emerging third-year forward LaMarcus Aldridge.

Led by Roy and Aldridge, Portland went 41-41 last season - a nine game improvement from 2006-07 and a 20-win jump from 2005-06.

The Blazers appear to be even more dangerous with the return of Oden, who had his rookie season cut short before it began.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2007, Oden suffered a knee injury during a pick-up game a few months later and had season-ending surgery on September 14, 2007.

With the trio of Oden, Roy and Aldridge and a great supporting cast, the postseason is no longer just a pipe dream in Portland. However, the club will be challenged immediately with eight of its first 11 games on the road. That includes difficult stops in Phoenix, Utah, Orlando, New Orleans and Golden State.

For all the commotion Kobe Bryant causes every offseason, his impact is undeniable. When the biggest knock against you is that you're not as good as Michael Jordan, you're in pretty good shape.

The other criticisms levied against him seemed to wash away last year when Pau Gasol (18.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG) was acquired and Bryant (28.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.4 APG) led the Lakers to the top seed in the Western Conference.

Those two will now have company when Andrew Bynum (13.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG) finally takes the floor after missing the entire second half of the season. After he went down last year, there were constant reports that he was coming back by the end of March, then by the end of the regular season, then by sometime in the playoffs... but they never materialized.

Whether the injury - or his recovery from it - was worse than was originally reported remains to be seen.

The Lakers should still be considered the team to beat in the West. Bryant is still the league's best player and he finally has other offensive options taking some of the pressure off him.

If Bynum return to some semblance of the form he showed last year, the Lakers will be even better than they were during last year's 57-win campaign - and more dangerous come playoff time.

Bryant hyperextended his right knee last week and Sasha Vujacic sprained his left ankle Sept. 30. But they are sound now and ready to play in the opener

TRENDS: The Lakers were 30-11 SU at home last year and 37-15 SU against Western Conference foes. The Lakers were 47-33-1 ATS during the regular season, with the ‘under’ going 41-40. Portland was 13-28 SU on the road last season and 26-26 SU against the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers saw the ‘under’ go 49-32-1 last season, including 25-15-1 on the road.

October 28, 2008