Oh Chicago, how sweet it will be to not have to rely on Joakim Noah to carry your team, lol sorry even I laughed at the thought of Noah carrying anything. Back on topic, we finally have it, the long awaited return of Derrick Rose! To put into perspective how long awaited this is, Kevin Ware, the NCAA player who broke his leg to the point where the bone was exposed out of the skin during march madness, was back to playing basketball before Derrick Rose returned from a knee injury. Yeah, I am not so sure how great Rose will be, he started off a preseason game 1 and 5 from the free throw line, and while he did seem to improve throughout the game, I have to think he will struggle when he gets hammered from major regular season defense, coming off a 17 month hiatus. He did get good feedback from his coach and teammates and opposing players and coach, however when he left the game in the third quarter he immediately went to ice both knees on the sidelines. This doesn't look very hopefully for the Bulls, especially when they find themselves in tough games where they will rely on Rose to pull them through with high scoring performances, like when they play the Pacers or the Heat, he will need to be 100%, but the question is, can he ever be 100% again? Granted D-Wade suffers with these problems but he is also a few years older, has three rings, and quite a supporting cast for a team, Rose doesn't have that benefit so the pressure really is on him. I think the best game plan for Rose this year will be a "slow and steady approach" if he comes out too aggressive he could reinjure his knee and cost himself his career.
Now moving onto to my favorite person to write about,the one and only Lebron James. He is
coming into this season off a newlywed high and his sights set on a three-peat, but the question is, can he do it? Well, when you think about the fact that he is coming back to the same strong and experienced team that he has seen two championships with now, a 3-peat seems likely. However, I am not going to sit here and act like this is going to be easy for them. The Heat struggle against teams defensively on the perimeter, we saw this in every game against the Pacers in the playoffs and often the Heat would rely on their sure shooter Mike Miller to bail them out with his amazing jump shots, the ones that seemed impossible from the corner and sides of the court are the ones he would drain time and time again. Respectfully Miller was released per the amnesty clause from Miami this season but his assets to the team will not be downplayed or forgotten. Lebron wouldn't have any of his rings if it weren't for Miller or Battier. While Miller leaving is a tough loss for the Heat they did have a few off season pickups including Beasley and yes of course Oden, it is yet to be determined how these new additions will play out but for now it seems the Heat's only "ace in the hole" three point shooter will be Shane Battier, and no I am not saying that Battier is the only good perimeter shooter on the team, obviously Wade is the go-to-man but many times in tough situations, there was a sense of relief to see Miller or Battier enter the game, especially if shoes start coming off, then the game was on. Don't worry Heat fans and don't get too excited yet Heat haters, expect to see The Heat start off this season much like they did last, they will start slow and probably lose some easy games, but as we saw last year Miami didn't really turn up the Heat until after All-Star weekend, then it was down to business.
Speaking of business, Kobe Bryant is one player entering this season who is all business and no play. He is coming off an injury that took him out late last season, not after shooting his free throws of course, Kobe has always been a man of grit and dedication I will give him that. However, while it seems his rehabilitation is coming along well, he is returning for one reason and we all know why, he wants to see that sixth championship. To me, the measure of a player is not based upon a team accomplishment like a team championship, it is based upon individual credentials like MVP awards and broken/set records which Kobe has undoubtably done. Laker fans, I know it is exciting to see Kobe return but don't expect to see the sixth 'ship for him, at least not for this year. There are far too many young, healthy, competitive teams that are going to prove very tough for the Lakers to overcome in the regular season. But I expect the Lakers to do far better without deadweight such as Howard and I hope to see some high scoring games from Kobe that they will actually win, unlike last season. He was hitting high numbers and still losing thanks to players like Howard. It will be most intersting to see how the Lakers do when Dwight and the Rockets make a Staples center appearance in February. Overall we have a lot to look forward to this season and I cannot wait!!
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