Oklahoma City's Donovan prepares for National Basketball Association coaching debut vs. Popovich, Spurs

If the Suns can keep things on an even keel, a breakout season for 25-year-old guard Eric Bledsoe could see them improve on last year's 39-43 campaign. The fans are there all the time at the games; every game feels like it's a sellout.

He'll start that process against the Spurs, who have added LaMarcus Aldridge and David West to star mainstays Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard. While teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers seem to be in a perpetual race for the No. 1 draft pick, many others are moving pieces and crunching numbers, eager to make a big splash in what should be a wild free agency period. After flirting with the Mavericks, free agent DeAndre Jordan opted to return to the Clippers, who followed up a 56-26 regular season with another disappointing playoff exit in the West. With Jordan set to produce again alongside Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, newly acquired Paul Pierce brings the grit that could help Doc Rivers' team make it further. It's off to a good start. But if there was a contest going on for the best celebrity Halloween costume, it's clear that Kevin Durant would be climbing the ranks. "I enjoy him. Great basketball mind, but more so, a better person". The team has Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and Enes Kanter as their core players on the roster and new head coach Billy Donovan is expecting improvement from a year ago. We've hit it off since the beginning. New Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry, tasked with improving on a 45-37 season, has always been an advocate of fast-paced offenses and the exciting Anthony Davis should thrive in his system, which will also play to the strengths of three-point shooter Ryan Anderson.

If the preseason is an indicator, Donovan will be fine.

Over the course of the past month, Donovan has praised his floor general, Westbrook, for his intelligence, ability to take charge on the floor and his understanding of new concepts.

"He keeps it real", Westbrook said. "But if they falter and for whatever reason there's injuries or they get upset, which could very well happen in that loaded Western Conference - if they lose in the first or second round - I could very well see Kevin Durant jumping ship and going somewhere else". He doesn't let nothing slip between the cracks. "Everybody knows, and everybody's on the same page". With a few new faces in place, there was the need for cohesion and collaboration to occur, and both Durant and Westbrook have been conduits for that growth.

"Guys come in, they work hard, they go home, " said Aldridge, an All-Star in each of the last four seasons.