You know the NBA season is right around the corner with the General Mangers are releasing their pre-season predicitions.

More than 60 percent of the GM’s feel the Los Angeles Lakers will repeat as NBA Championships in 2009-10 and 69 percent feel LeBron James will take home his second MVP trophy.

Below is a list of other predictions from the 30 GM’s in the NBA:

Which team will win NBA Finals 2010?

1. L.A. Lakers – 60.7%
2. Boston – 17.9%
3. Cleveland – 17.9%
4. San Antonio – 3.6%

Last year: L.A. Lakers – 46.2%

Which team will win the Eastern Conference?

1. Boston – 50.0%
2. Cleveland – 42.9%
3. Orlando – 7.1%

Last year: Boston – 74.1%

Which team will win the Western Conference?

1. L.A. Lakers – 75.9%
2. San Antonio – 24.1%

Last year: L.A. Lakers – 66.7%

Who will win the 2009-10 MVP?

1. LeBron James, Cleveland – 69.0%
2. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers – 17.2%
3. Dwight Howard, Orlando – 6.9%

Also receiving votes: Tim Duncan, San Antonio; Dwyane Wade, Miami

Last year: LeBron James – 55.6%

Which team made the best overall moves this summer?

1. San Antonio – 71.2%
2. Orlando – 17.3%

Also receiving votes: Cleveland, Toronto, Washington

Last year: Philadelphia – 51.9%

Which team will be most improved in 2009-10?

1. Washington – 48.3%
2. L.A. Clippers – 17.2%
3. Oklahoma City – 13.8%
4. Toronto – 6.9%

Also receiving votes: Boston, Memphis, Minnesota, San Antonio

Last year: Miami, Portland – 25.9%

Who will win the 2008-09 Rookie of the Year?

1. Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers – 79.3%
2. Jonny Flynn, Minnesota – 10.3%
3. Tyreke Evans, Sacramento – 6.9%
4. Stephen Curry, Golden State – 3.4%

Last year: Michael Beasley – 48.1%

Who is the best international player in the NBA?

1. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas – 64.3%
2. Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers – 10.7%
3. Tim Duncan, San Antonio – 7.1%
4. Manu Ginobili, San Antonio – 7.1%
5. Steve Nash, Phoenix – 7.1%
6. Tony Parker, San Antonio – 3.6%

Last year: Dirk Nowitzki – 66.7%

Who is the best defensive player in the NBA?

1. Dwight Howard, Orlando – 46.4%
2. Ron Artest, L.A. Lakers – 17.9%
3. Kevin Garnett, Boston – 17.9%
4. Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers – 7.1%

Also receiving votes: Trevor Ariza, Houston; Shane Battier, Houston; Rajon Rondo, Boston

Last year: Kevin Garnett – 44.4%

Who is the best head coach in the NBA?

1. Phil Jackson, L.A. Lakers – 37.0%
2. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio – 33.3%
3. Jerry Sloan, Utah – 18.5%

Also receiving votes: Rick Adelman, Houston; Larry Brown, Charlotte; Stan Van Gundy, Orlando

Last year: Gregg Popovich – 53.8%

Kobe Bryant has one more accolade for his resume.

NBA Player of the Decade.

The Sporting News named the Los Angeles Lakers guard player of the decade, which should come as little surprise if you think about the last 9+ years.

One of the players who helped him earn the title, Shaquille O’Neal, had this to say about Bryant’s achivement:

The thing about Kobe is that, over the course of my career, I have never played with anyone who was as fierce as he is. By fierce I mean just having that extra killer instinct that you know when the game is on the line he is not going to shy away from the big shot, he is not going to make excuses. If we would go into the fourth quarter, playoffs or just some game in the season and we were within a little bit of the other team, Kobe was not going to shy away from the challenge of getting the win. He was going to take the shots.

He was going to take those shots away from Shaq.

That’s the part O’Neal left out, but kudos to the big man for his kind words about his former teammate.

In honor of Michael Jackson, I wanted to post a clip from today featuring Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson.

Magic can always find a way to make the crowd smile.

Who else is craving KFC now?

“I’m not going anywhere. I know I ain’t going nowhere, so it’s just a waste of our breaths just talking about it.”

- Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant on opting out of his contract and becoming a free agent.

Pencil in the Lakers for the 2010 NBA Finals.

Celtics, Cavs, Magic? Who knows.

Foooooooooour!

Kobe Bryant finally got the 7-foot-1, 320-pound gorilla off his back Sunday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers won their 15th NBA Championship, knocking off the Orlando Magic in five games.

And finally, we can stop wondering if Bryant could win a NBA title without Shaquille O’Neal.

Shaq had a message for Bryant after the Lakers victory via Twitter:

“Congratulations kobe, u deserve it. You played great . Enjoy it my man enjoy it. And I know what yur sayin rt now “Shaq how my ass taste ”

Good to know O’Neal has a sense of humor.

How much you want to bet he tries to weasel his way back on the Lakers when his contract is up next season?

No, you aren’t seeing things.

That really is Kobe Bryant in a New York Knicks jersey.

Sadly, this is the closest Knicks fans will ever get to landing Bryant, who is the cover boy for NBA 2K10, coming out in the Fall.

2K Sports is letting fans vote on what photo of Bryant should appear on the cover.

And in case you’re wondering why they decided to feature Bryant in a New York jersey, die-hard Knicks fan Spike Lee is in the commercial promoting the game.

You can tell the NBA Finals is a blowout if I’m blogging about a video game that’s not coming out until October.

On the eve of the NBA Finals, Shaquille O’Neal made it no secret who he is rooting for.

O’Neal tweeted today: “I am saying it today and today only, I want kobe bryant to get number four, spread da word.”

I’m spreading the word on behalf of O’Neal, who secretly has to be rooting against Bryant catching him in the rings category.

Lakers in 6.

If you haven’t had a chance to see the Kobe and LeBron Nike puppet commercials, you’re missing out on comedy.

It will be even funnier when LeBron and the Cavs don’t make the playoffs but that’s for another post.

The Kobe and LeBron puppets stopped by the set of Sportscenter. Check out the video:

Ron Artest has officially lost his mind.

During an interview with TNT’s Craig Sager on Wednesday, Artest claimed Portland Trailblazers guard Brandon Roy was the best player he has played against in the NBA.

Better than Kobe.

Better than LeBron.

And for good measure, he takes a cheap shot at Charles Barkley at the end of the clip.

Let’s see how Artest feels about Kobe after the next round of the playoffs, assuming Houston makes it out of the first round.

“Playing with the Lakers was an overrated experience. Phil Jackson was great. I don’t care what the media says, they said I had a problem with Phil Jackson, but the problem was never with Phil Jackson. It was with your boy, 24. Formerly known as KB, Kobe Bryant. The problems with that team start with him, and end with him.”

- Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Smush Parker on Kobe Bryant

Spoken like a man who is now playing hoops in the Chinese Basketball Association.