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Eastern Conference

1. BOSTON CELTICS

Last season: Second in East, lost in conference semis

Offseason moves: Signed free agents Rasheed Wallace, Shelden Williams, Marquis Daniels; re-signed Glen Davis

Window: Shrinking. The Celtics are aiming to rebound following their failed quest to repeat. Kevin Garnett is working his way back from the season-ending knee injury that left Boston short-handed up front last postseason. And with Ray Allen due to hit free agency in the summer and Paul Pierce holding a player option, this could be this group’s last hurrah.

2. ORLANDO MAGIC

Last season: Third in East, lost in the NBA Finals

Offseason moves: Traded for Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson; signed free agents Brandon Bass and Jason Williams; re-signed Marcin Gortat, Adonal Foyle

Window: Wide open. Orlando lost Hedo Turkoglu to free agency, but Dwight Howard — already the best big man in the game — is still improving. Add in a healthy Jameer Nelson, scorers Carter and Rashard Lewis and a tough Bass, and the Magic again should be in the mix. Plus, Howard, Carter and coach Stan Van Gundy have the motivation of silencing critics this season. Orlando could be an elite team for years to come.

3. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Last season: First in East, lost in conference finals

Offseason moves: Traded for Shaquille O’Neal; signed free agents Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, Leon Powe; re-signed Anderson Varejao

Window: Shrinking. After collapsing in the Eastern Conference finals last season, the Cavaliers made moves to bolster their front line and also add more wing players. But will Shaq help or hinder LeBron and Co.? Moon and Parker’s additions could have the bigger impact, especially given Delonte West’s ongoing issues and considering how a lack of size on the perimeter hurt Cleveland against Orlando. How this team does this season will likely determine James’ future. Win it all, and he could come back to Cleveland. Fail miserably, and he may be gone.

4. ATLANTA HAWKS

Last season: Fourth in East, lost in conference semis

Offseason moves: Re-signed Mike Bibby, Zaza Pachulia, Marvin Williams; signed free agents Jason Collins, Joe Smith; traded for Jamal Crawford

Window: Shrinking. The Hawks managed to hang onto all their free agents from last year’s 47-win team, but that wasn’t enough to get them over the hump last season, so why should it be now? Crawford gives them another scorer, but the glaring weakness is up front. Outside of Al Horford, Atlanta still lacks the frontcourt to matchup with Cleveland, Orlando and Boston.

5. WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Last season: 15th in the East

Offseason moves: Traded for Mike Miller, Randy Foye; signed free agent Fabricio Oberto

Window: Shrinking. Gilbert Arenas, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson are all healthy again, and Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison appear to still have plenty left. Under Flip Saunders, the Wizards believe they are championship material. Ernie Grunfeld repeatedly rebuffed trade offers for Butler and Jamison. BUT… if things don’t go according to plan, will he finally break up the band? With Haywood and Miller facing free agency next summer, Washington could sport a different look next season.

6. CHICAGO BULLS

Last season: Seventh in the East, lost in first round

Offseason moves: Re-signed Aaron Gray, Lindsey Hunter; signed free agent Jannero Pargo; drafted Taj Gibson

Window: Open… and getting larger. With his playoff performance against the Celtics, Derrick Rose showed himself to be a star in the making, and with a healthy Luol Deng back in the mix, Chicago should continue to improve despite the departure of Ben Gordon. Swingman John Salmons will benefit from being with Rose and Co. for a whole season. But the main weakness with this team is a scoring presence in the paint.

7. TORONTO RAPTORS

Last season: 13th in East

Offseason moves: Traded for Hedo Turkoglu; signed free agents Jarrett Jack, Rasho Nesterovic; drafted DeMar DeRozan

Window: Shrinking. The Raptors helped themselves by picking up Turkoglu and Jack and should be back in the postseason, but this team doesn’t really scare anyone. Franchise player Chris Bosh will be a free agent in the summer, so he likely will have a fine season. But if Toronto fails to make much noise in the postseason, he’s likely gone.

8. PHILADELPHIA 76ers

Last season: Sixth in East

Offseason moves: Signed free agents Primoz Brezec, Rodney Carney; drafted Jrue Holiday

Window: Developing. While learning new coach Eddie Jordan’s Princeton offense, the 76ers could take a step backward with Andre Miller now in Portland. Jordan said his new team is further ahead at this point in learning the offense than any other team he’s coached, but it still looks disjointed and confused.

Western Conference

1. LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Last season: First in West, won NBA title

Offseason moves: Signed free agent Ron Artest, re-signed Lamar Odom, Shannon Brown

Window: Wide open for at least the next two years. Aside from Trevor Ariza, who departed via free agency, the Lakers return all of the players instrumental in last year’s championship run. And it’s also a case of the rich getting richer: Los Angeles landed Ron Artest in the offseason, who is an upgrade over Ariza. And with the re-signing of Odom, the Lakers have one of the best sixth men in the league. If the Lakers can remain healthy and Kobe Bryant can keep Artest in line, a repeat is theirs.

2. SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Last season: Tied for second in West, lost in first round

Offseason moves: Traded for Richard Jefferson; signed free agents Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff

Window: Shrinking. The Spurs had a strong regular season, but injuries caught up with them in the postseason and they bowed out in the first round for the first time since 2000. Manu Ginobili is finally healthy after missing 38 games last season. And the Spurs added Richard Jefferson, which should help keep them among the ranks of the league elite. But with Tim Duncan’s 34th birthday approaching and with Ginobili due to hit free agency next summer, the Spurs are running out of time.

3. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

Last season: Tied for second in West, lost in first round

Offseason moves: Signed free agent Andre Miller

Window: Wide open. Of all the playoff teams in the league, the Blazers have the widest and perhaps longest window of opportunity because of their youth and salary cap flexibility. With young stars Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Fernandez all boasting another year of experience, Portland should make noise in the postseason rather than fizzle like last spring.

4. DENVER NUGGETS

Last season: Tied for second in West, lost in conference finals

Offseason moves: Re-signed Chris Andersen, Anthony Carter; traded for Aaron Afflalo; drafted Ty Lawson

Window: Shrinking. The Nuggets were a dangerous team last season, even making it to the conference finals. But Chauncey Billups isn’t getting any younger, and Kenyon Martin and Nene have been slowed by serious injuries and aren’t as spry as they once were. The Nuggets still have Carmelo Anthony, who should be an MVP candidate. And J.R. Smith could be a strong contributor but is inconsistent and can’t be relied on.

5. DALLAS MAVERICKS

Last season: Sixth in West, lost in conference semis

Offseason moves: Re-signed Jason Kidd; signed free agents Drew Gooden, Tim Thomas; traded for Shawn Marion

Window: Closed. The Mavericks got a nice pickup in Marion, and they’ll be a good team with Dirk Nowitzki and Kidd still leading the way. But like much of the last decade, they’ll be good but not good enough. All of their core players are over 30, which isn’t a good thing. The positive is Erick Dampier has an expiring contract, which could be an attractive trade asset.

6. UTAH JAZZ

Last season: Eighth in West, lost in first round

Offseason moves: Re-signed Paul Millsap; drafted Eric Maynor

Window: Closed. Deron Williams remains on of the top point guards in the league, and Millsap used extra playing time caused by Carlos Boozer’s injuries to show he is a force in this league and get paid in the offseason. But with Utah’s decision to hang onto Boozer, uncertainty looms. Are they committed to Boozer as their power forward or Millsap? And even if Jerry Sloan can find a way to play both at the same time, can Boozer ever truly regain his dominant form?

7. NEW ORLEANS HORNETS

Last season: Seventh in West, lost in first round

Offseason moves: Traded for Emeka Okafor, Darius Songaila; signed free agent Ike Diogu; drafted Darren Collison

Window: Closed. Two yeas ago the Hornets looked like they were a piece or two away from becoming one of the great teams in the NBA. But they never made any moves and paid for it last season. Chris Paul is the best point guard in the game, but swapping Tyson Chandler for Okafor won’t improve this team. The luxury tax-strapped Hornets likely will post another season like last year’s.

8. PHOENIX SUNS

Last season: Ninth in West

Offseason moves: Signed free agent Channing Frye; re-signed Grant Hill; traded for Sasha Pavlovic

Window: Shrinking. The Suns aren’t likely to make a championship run, but if there’s a dark horse in the West, it’s them. With Amare Stoudemire now healthy again and Shaq in Cleveland, the Suns will be able to return to their run-and-gun ways. But Steve Nash is 35 and probably has one good season left in him. So for the Suns, it’s now or never.