Until proven otherwise, the Osaka Evessa are the elite team in the Western Conference and the bj-league as a whole.
The Evessa returned to regular-season competition last weekend, sweeping a pair of games against the expansion Shiga Lakestars on the road.
Osaka coach Kensaku Tennichi's team, winners of three straight titles, was previewed thoroughly in last weekend's newspaper, as well as some Web-only stories. But here's a quick rundown on the 2008-09 Evessa squad: