MAILBAG Marty Burns will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

8. LAKERS: Despite Kobe Bryant's pleas, they have not yet been able to do anything major to get him the help he needs. Derek Fisher is only going to help so much. Bryant and a healthy Lamar Odom should be enough to get them to the playoffs, but it's hard to imagine them doing much better as presently constituted.

9. HORNETS: Despite a wave of injuries, they came on strong late last season and still almost made the playoffs. GM Jeff Bower then went out and signed Peterson to fill their hole at shooting guard, giving Chris Paul another weapon to go with Peja Stojakovic, Bobby Jackson, David West and Tyson Chandler. But can they stay healthy?

10. CLIPPERS: Which team are they? The feisty Cinderella who won 47 games two years ago, or the lackadaisical outfit that backslid to a 40-42 mark a year ago? Hard-working Elton Brand will give them a chance to return to the postseason, but their only significant addition has been No. 14 pick Al Thornton.

11. GRIZZLIES: They added one of the big catches in the free-agent market in power forward Darko Milicic. He should join with Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay and Mike Miller to get them back to respectability after a dismal 2006-07 campaign. But young point guards Mike Conley Jr. and Kyle Lowry will have to learn on the fly.

12. KINGS: Despite trade rumors involving Mike Bibby and Ron Artest, they have stood pat so far. GM Geoff Petrie did fill their need for more size by adding free-agent center Mikki Moore and 7-foot first-round pick Spencer Hawes, but coach Reggie Theus still faces a tough job in his first season.

13. BLAZERS: Top pick Greg Oden hasn't been their only significant addition. New GM Kevin Pritchard also stockpiled two other first-round picks in Rudy Fernandez and Petteri Kopenen, as well as veterans Blake, James Jones and Channing Frye (the last in a trade for Zach Randolph).

14. SONICS: Like their Pacific rivals, they too have gone into full rebuilding mode behind top rookies Kevin Durant (No. 2 overall) and Jeff Green (No. 5). New GM Sam Presti also traded for veterans Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and Kurt Thomas to replace the departed Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis and help ease the kids' transition.

15. WOLVES: With the KG era officially over, they can get on with the rebuilding. Al Jefferson and Juwan Howard (acquired in a trade with the Rockets) take over at power forward, while top rookie Corey Brewer joins a whole bunch of young players who figure to need a lot of time to grow.