I am going to jump on the Laker bandwagon. Let me start by saying that I am not a Laker fan. The Lakers are, for me, the basketball equivalent of the New York Yankees; the team that I love to hate. But I think that this Laker team has all the ingredients to be one of the great teams of all time.

Certainly they are loaded with talent. In Kobe, Shaq, Malone and Payton they have four sure Hall of Famers. But the Lakers also have experience, hunger and chemistry that will make this a team to remember. Payton is a leader on the court (and hopefully in the locker room as well) and Phil Jackson one of the best coaches ever.

At this point in the season, they are 4 and 0. Its early, you say? Four wins don't make a season? True, very true. But what these four wins out of the gate do is to take the pressure off the players. The Laker winning streak is a bigger story than Shaq and Kobe's feud, or Kobe's off-court problems. These wins are, to coin a phrase, a distraction from the distractions.

Malone and Payton are hungry for NBA Championship rings. That hunger will drive the team down the stretch. Not only that, but their skillls are perfect compliments for Shaq and Kobe. They are perfect for the triangle offense. Malone gives the Lakers another strong inside presence, while Payton is a one-man fast break and an on-court general. They bring maturity to this team and a willingness to sacrifice.

While the Lakers are, I am sure, going to bicker throughout the season, many great teams have done that. Look at Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner in 1977 and 1978. You don't have to love each other to win.

The Lakers face stiff competition from the Mavs and Kings. Not to diss the Atlantic and Central conferences, but no team in either conference has the talent. As for the Mavs (Midwest) and Kings (Pacific) I think that over the course of the season coaching and experience will make the difference. The Mavs may, arguably, be as talented as the Lakers, but Don Nelson is not the coach that Phil Jackson is.

Could these Lakers match up with Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls? The Bulls won championships in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1997. In 1996 the Bulls compiled a 72-10 regular season record, earning the nickname the "unstopabulls." Frankly, I don't think any team ever will match their feats during this seven year stretch. The Bulls had #23, the greatest player od all time. But it is going to be fun watching these Lakers play.

Well, thats my call early on. Injuries can change all of that real fast. But for now, I think that the Lakers are the team to beat.