This basketball season has the most hype in years. In years past, the Western conference would be filled with talented teams while the Eastern conference teams would mainly consist of only two or three good teams and below average teams made up the rest. Well, not this NBA season.

Since there are so many contenders and so many storylines this NBA season, it would be a shame to miss a game. There are returns of star caliber players such as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Paul George, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.

Durant may leave his team at the end of the season and is cleared from his injuries from last year. Bryant has been nursing injuries for the past two seasons, but now is cleared from his injuries. George did not play for a team last year due to injury. Irving is coming back from injury to help James and the Cleveland Cavaliers deliver the team’s first Championship. Love is also coming back from an injury, looking to prove to his critics that he can be more than a complementary player to James and Irving.

There has been also a few big off-season signings for a multitude of teams that could make them contenders. Lamarcus Aldridge elected to go to the Spurs who are already loaded with talent. DeAndre Jordan stayed with the Clippers after almost joining the Dallas Mavericks. Paul Pierce is going to Clippers in the pursuit of another championship at the end of his career. Monte Ellis joined Paul George and forces for the Indiana Pacers. Goran Dragic re-signed with Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.

With all of this said, the team that most predict as Eastern Conference Champions are the Cleveland Cavaliers with James, Irving and Love and crew coming back with the pursuit of a championship. The Chicago Bulls, with the addition of rookie Bobby Portis have kept their own team intact and brought a new offensive minded head coach who will help the Bulls with their offensive struggles. The Miami Heat, with the likes of Wade, Dragic, Luol Deng, Hassan Whiteside and Chris Bosh should also have a say in who wins the East.

In the Western Conference anyone can win, but here are a few teams that one can almost expect to win it.

The defending champions, the Golden State Warriors who had a phenomenal season and post-season last year retained Draymond Green, and the majority of their team should be in the mix to win the West.

The San Antonio Spurs with the acquisition of Lamarcus Aldridge to complement Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard and crew can win not only the conference but the Championship.

The Oklahoma City Thunder with Russell Westbrook’s emergence as a superstar and Kevin Durant’s return with a loaded supporting cast will also have a say in who wins the Conference.

The Los Angeles Clippers with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan who all finally were given a bench to work with after the off-season signings of Paul Pierce, Josh Smith and Wesley Johnson.

I predict San Antonio will win the Championship. I know it’s a safe pick but with the best coach in basketball Gregg Popovich, two stars Leonard and Aldridge complemented with productive veterans such as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, it is hard to say they won’t win the chip.

For the Eastern conference winners, junior Evan Goytia said “Bulls, I think they’re deep” and also have “rookies coming into their own.”

When it comes to who will win the Western Conference, junior Tommy Panos said it will be a “tough clench for the season title with Golden State and Oklahoma City”, Panos believes Golden State has a “better bench” but Oklahoma City has a “better starting lineup”.