I love the beginning of training camp. Every team is at a 0-0 standing, they all have title hopes and every single one of them talks like they are going to be the ones lifting the trophy and getting fitted for rings by next June.

You can always see more optimism in the eyes of those fans who have seen a new player coming to their team. “Maybe he is the missing piece that the team needed” – these thoughts are mumbled over and over again with every big trade, every hopeful signing. Sometimes they turn out to be like Kevin Garnett going to Boston, sometimes they end up being a Steve Francis to New York sort of deal.

Nonetheless until tip-off time, fans gain hope with these moves. Here is my list of the top 10 most important NBA moves of thr summer...

10. Hornets add James Posey: This is one of those low-profile moves one was expecting more from the Spurs than the New Orleans Hornets. Posey is a playoff-tested veteran who helped Boston to a title last year. He will be a bench contributor for a young but very talented New Otrleans squad that might have lost in the playoffs last year merely because of their inexperience.

Posey is a great fit for this team and I am sure he will love the chance to team up with Chris Paul, one of the top three point guards in the league right now. The outcome of this trade might well be a deep playoff run for the Hornets but, as of yet, I am unsure if this move is enough for them to unseat the Lakers-Spurs duo from the top of the West.

9. Knicks sign Chris Duhon: This signing is significant because it makes problem-child Stephon Marbury completely expendable. In fact, I expect him to be off of New York’s roster by opening night. Duhon is actually the type of point guard who could flourish within Mike D’Antoni’s system. He has a decent jumper and he can push the ball on the fast break. Do not be surprised if he is the starter at the position this season.

Alas, Duhon will not solve all of the Knicks’ problems, but we have to wait and see what a steady hand at the point guard position will do for this collection of talent. Make no mistake, the Knicks do not lack talent, they have an abundance of it. It’s only too bad they play similar positions and do not play in harmony.

8. Magic sign Mikael Pietrus: Not a highly-publicized move from the summer, but mark my words, it will be an important move for the season to come. The Magic are a bona fide playoff team, but they were lacking a shutdown defender. What did they do? Well, they only went out and got the best young perimeter defender out there.

Pietrus might not have lived up to all expectations, as many dubbed him the French Michael Jordan, but he sure is a heck of a player. A blue collar type who does not mind doing the dirty work, he scores mainly in spurts. But the Magic just want to set him onto the best wing player of every opponent. In a best case scenario Pietrus is the missing link they need to beat the top four of the East.

7. Cleveland adds Maurice Williams: The Cavaliers with LeBron James can almost be pencilled in for a conference semi-final berth. Then they are most probably out, as James has no scorers around him to ease the load in such heavily-fought battles. Hold on, now! Mo Williams comes to the rescue.

King James now has more than just a few court jesters by his side. He finally has a boa fide knight coming in. Granted, Williams is not exactly a Lancelot to LeBron’s Arthur, but he still is an improvement over previous second bananas. He will not have a problem scoring, that much we know. The main question is: How will the chemistry mesh in the locker room?

6. Jermaine O’Neil packs for Toronto: Yet another team embarks on a twin towers game-plan. The Raptors sent spare parts and an expendable TJ Ford for big man Jermaine O’Neal, and boy was this trade worth it for the men in purple. Teaming up the versatile Chris Bosh and O’Neil certainly looks good on paper. Toronto will have one of the most feared frontcourts in the league. But will this all work? The Knicks, for example, found out that not all inside tandems work out fine. Will O’Neil and Bosh be able to share the post? The Raptors’ season depends upon it.

5. Clippers sign Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Ricky Davis, Jason Williams: This is actually the worst series of moves I have ever seen. It started out just fine when Baron Davis signed. Everyone was envisioning a Davis-Elton Brand duo tearing up the competition. Then the Clips managed to fumble on the Brand re-signing, and the knee-jerk reactions that followed were awful.

They added Camby, a defensive specialist who is most comfortable as a center and has no real go-to moves on offense to replace Brand’s production (which includes 20 points scored per game). Hey, at least Camby is a good locker room guy. Then the addition of Williams and the other Davis just blew me away. Forget the jail-blazers, we are talking team turmoil here. I would like the NBA to negate the Corey Maggette signing by the Warriors so we could have CM playing for these Clips as well. The Vegas line is on for the first inter-squad fight...

4. Bucks trade Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons for Richard Jefferson: Milwaukee is in denial mode here. I love this trade, but it just shows you that the Bucks think they are inches short of a championship. They believe that with Michael Redd they have the superstar to lead them to a title, and they just need to assemble the pieces.

Well, much like his predecessor (Ray Allen), Redd is also better suited to be a second or third option behind some alpha-guy. Jefferson is also a prime sidekick - so is Andrew Bogut. This is quickly becoming a nice experiment to see whether team sidekick can prevail.

3. Memphis gives Kevin Love and Mike Miller for OJ Mayo on draft night: The significance of this trade will not be seen fully in the upcoming season. This is the type of move we will be talking about years from now when Mayo explodes against the Timberwolves or when the twin towers of Love and Al Jefferson beat out Memphis in a playoff game.

It is a gamble for both sides. The Grizzlies went for the most talent by getting Mayo - a great wing player who can be the next big star - but he can also be the next big bust. Minnesota, meanwhile, has gone for the not-so-talented but no-nonsense Kevin Love and the three-point shooting of Mike Miller. I have a feeling one of the two will falter, and will hear about it down the line.

2. Ron Artest goes to Houston: The Rockets have asked for a hit when they had 19 on the table. That’s the level of risk that Artest means to this team. Yet, considering the fact that everybody knew 19 was not good enough as the house already has 20, this was a move that they had to make. Artest gives the Rockets that much-needed player that can excel at both ends of the floor. Along with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, Houston now must be considered one of the favorites in the title race. But can Artest keep his head in the game? And can McGrady and Yao avoid injuries?

1. Philadelphia inks Elton Brand: This move means that the 76ers have taken that leap into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference. They were a great club last season, when they finished seventh, but they lacked a legit low-post presence. No more! Brand is a guy who will give them 20 points and 10 rebounds a night.

His arrival has made the 76ers one of the favorites to become the most improved team and, when you think they finished last season with a respectable 40-42 record, that is really telling. Last summer the Celtics took center stage by grabbing Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. This year the headlines were mainly about Brand and the 76ers.