By Austin White

The end of October is approaching which means that it is time to get out your headbands and throw on those tank top jerseys.

The NBA is back! The offseason brought a shake-up to the lineups everywhere and the created new contenders. However, every team is still chasing the back-to-back champions the Miami Heat. Can LeBron and the Heat add a third title to this run, or will someone finally overthrow the King? We’ll just have to wait and see.

In the meantime, non-Heat fans can speculate on which teams have a strong chance to dethrone Miami. One team that took a strong step in that direction is the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets acquired all-star small forward Paul Pierce, all-star power forward Kevin Garnett and former Sixth Man of the Year guard Jason Terry, all from the Boston Celtics. This trio of impact players will join highly regarded point guard Deron Williams, and this combo will put the Nets in the top four of the eastern conference in many people’s minds.

Another team in the East that looks to be a strong contender is the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers were quiet in the offseason, but that is a good thing. The Pacers get all-star PF Danny Granger back from injury this season after he missed all of last year. The Pacers still captured the third seed and took the Miami Heat to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Basically, less change is good for a Pacers team that is already on the cusp of greatness.

As for the teams in the Wild West looking for a crowning ceremony, the list goes on and on. The San Antonio Spurs have kept the core of their team from last year’s Western Conference Champion’s lineup. The only question the Spurs face is when are Future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, all star PG Tony Parker and SG Manu Ginobili going to show their age.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have also kept their team intact and will get PG Russell Westbrook back from the knee injury he suffered in last year’s playoffs.

The Los Angeles Clippers fired their head coach Vinny Del Negro despite the fact that he led the team to their best record in team history. That said, the Clippers acquired head coach Doc Rivers in a trade—yes teams can trade coaches—with the Boston Celtics. Rivers led the Boston Celtics to an NBA title in 2008 and with a team that also did not change much from last year the Clippers look to finally become champions.

Other acquisitions that propelled teams into title chances are the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors. The Rockets signed center Dwight Howard and the Warriors signed SF Andre Iguodala. The additions of these players adds the star power needed for each team to compete.

An NBA season is never complete without a few sneaker teams that could surprise everyone. Experts believe that the Denver Nuggets are going to be in a down year because of the loss of Iguodala and the many other roster changes. However, with a little time, the Nuggets can challenge any team. They have kept speedy PG Ty Lawson and seven foot tall C Javale McGee while adding guard Randy Foye as a three-point threat and strong PF J.J. Hickson. With these acquisitions, the Nuggets should be able to continue their high powered offense and, under new coach Brian Shaw, they might just play a little defense too. Another team that could come from the woodwork is the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons signed SF Josh Smith, PG Brandon Jennings and former Pistons Finals MVP PG Chauncey Billups. Adding these seasoned veterans should give the Pistons a potent offense and make them a formidable challenger in the eyes of their opponents.

This season looks to be an exciting one with all of the teams out there looking to dethrone LeBron and the Heat. One thing is for certain, if the Heat does pull off a three-peat this year, the talks of LeBron being the greatest player ever will finally become a serious idea.