Do you think the Lakers will be able to compete with the Houston Rockets or Denver Nuggets?

I doubt it. I see the Lakers going out before the Finals. One thing I always known is that the Lakers' interior defense is very weak. Andrew Bynum gets destroyed by perennial All star big men like Tim Duncan, Yao Ming, Kevin Garnett, and even little Milsapp is doing his thing now along with Boozer even though the Jazz lost. It's a definite sign of weakness in the Lakers' area.