With stars realigned, NBA powers to wage tug of war

A year after rushing through the lockout-abridged training camp, NBA teams will reconvene Monday (except those that got early starts before heading to overseas preseason games) for the customary 28-day run-up to the regular season.

They’ll need it, if only to get used to the idea of Ray Allen in a Heat uniform or Steve Nash wearing Lakers purple and gold.

There were so many changes through the NBA’s offseason that with Dwight Howard’s escape from Orlando, the league seems to be without a single star holding his team hostage.

But the changes of the offseason do set up an unusually intriguing preseason from one end of the league to the other.

1. Are the Lakers the next “super team” or will it take a few weeks?
The addition of Howard should solidify the Lakers’ defense; Nash ought to be able to take much of the load off Kobe Bryant on the offensive end. But before the rich get richer, the Lakers need the month to put things together. Howard is recovering from his back surgery, and the Lakers hope for a transition to a Princeton-style offense.

They likely will still run plenty of pick-and-roll for Nash and Bryant but will have to figure out the balance between them.

2. Who else wins in the Dwight Howard trade?
The Magic will begin their rebuilding, but the Nuggets and Nets are among the teams worth watching. The Nuggets have put together a consistently effective scoring team since the trade of Carmelo Anthony, and George Karl will take full advantage of Andre Iguodala’s versatility while improving his team defensively. Andrew Bynum can become the 76ers’ go-to star.

3. Does the latest Heat haul keep the champion the team to beat?
The championship seemed likely to go through Miami anyway, but adding Allen and Rashard Lewis ought to keep things fresh and add the outside shooting that has seemed so crucial for a team with the one-on-one talents of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. After being more in need of a point guard and center, the Heat seem to have embraced the idea of filling the floor with shooters.

4. Who owns New York?
The Knicks might not have won anything in decades, but the Brooklyn Nets were in their shadow in New Jersey and Long Island. In Brooklyn, they are calling out their neighbors with a bolstered roster to do it.

The Nets should not have difficulty mixing in Joe Johnson next to Deron Williams.

The Knicks will have to replace Jeremy Lin with Jason Kidd but will rely more on the Hakeem Olajuwon-tutored Amar’e Stoudemire and Anthony.

Both will expect to make those adjustments before the preseason is over.

5. Can the Mavericks rebuild a contender?
Dallas came up empty in its pursuit of a second superstar, primarily local product Deron Williams. But Mark Cuban gave Rick Carlisle plenty of new parts to assemble in training camp and the preseason. He replaced Kidd and Jason Terry with Darren Collison and O.J. Mayo. He added Elton Brand and Chris Kaman in the frontcourt.

And the Mavs seem ready to let Roddy Beaubois play a significant role.

6. How tough will it be for the first-year coaches?
Coaches usually face challenges when they take over, though few have the work to do that Mike Dunlap faces in Charlotte after the Bobcats’ 7-59 season. Jacque Vaughn, also a first-time coach, will have to start the rebuilding in Orlando. Terry Stotts, in his third coaching position, has much more to work with in Portland but will face greatest expectations while trying to sneak into the postseason in the West.

7. Has Rick Adelman got another winner?
The Timberwolves will have a busy preseason with loads of additions heading into Adelman’s second season, but with Ricky Rubio out.

The Wolves added Andrei Kirilenko, Brandon Roy, Alexey Shved, Chase Budinger and Greg Stiemsma, giving Adelman plenty of preseason work to do to get his offense in gear.

8. Will the Clippers’ additions keep pace with the team down the hall?
The Lakers’ changes might have understandably stolen the attention, but the Clippers made some solid moves. The first preseason test will be to determine if Blake Griffin is, as expected, recovered from offseason surgery.

With that out of the way, the Clippers will be able to work in Grant Hill, Lamar Odom and Matt Barnes.