It's back!

After four months, it’s finally back. The NBA is back ladies and gentlemen! Even if they still need a ratification by December 9, players being let inside their teams’ practice facilities are a good sign already.

But enough chitchat; I want to ask you guys, what are you expecting the most after arguably the best competitive season of the NBA? Which team will you be rooting for come December 25? Which free agents will you be watching closely when they go sign with teams? Which tradeable star is the most intriguing? Please forgive my excitement. Four months of no NBA, no matter how much of a college basketball fan I am, is still bad. However, I’d like to share some of my unbiased and biased thoughts.

But anyway, being a die-hard Chicago Bulls fan, no thanks to some black cat named Michael Jordan, I’m excited for my Bulls. Derrick Rose is still in contract, so is Joakim Noah and Luol Deng. That’s arguably the Big 3 of the Bulls. Carlos Boozer? No thanks. I hope they do fetch Jason Richardson or Jamal Crawford or Caron Butler since they don’t have a scoring punch at the two-guard spot. But with the MVP in tow, the hardest hustling center in the league, and the best glue guy will keep the Bulls afloat. If they challenge for the title, that’s wholly up to them.

Then we have the upcoming Chris Paul saga. The best point guard in the league being shopped around in tradelines? That’s a better story than Carmelo Anthony ending up in New York. Wherever he ends up, this sure-fire MVP candidate will instantly make waves. Goodness, imagine if he ended up in Orlando. Dwight Howard might have a reason to stay and we will be delighted to watch about 10 alley-oops per game from the pair. Paul might average 15 or more assists just from feeding D12 alone and D12 would be pouring in around the 30 to 35 points per game mark. Oh, and the blue would not look bad at all Chris Paul. The downside though is no Jameer Nelson. But fellas, it’s an easy pick on who I would choose.

Who can forget the Miami Heat? Or the Miami Cheat as detractors like to call them (including this one). They were the reason there was a lock out to begin with. Well at least at the back of my mind they had something to do with it. I mean come on, you got three stars who hover around $20 million each and a bunch of misfits. How would they fill their roster now with the new salary cap in effect? Taking a pay cut for a title is always a noble gesture but how many would want a pay cut? Of course the 100-something-year-olds like Juwan Howard. Anyone else? Erick Dampier maybe, they need someone to inbound the ball after all. Mario Chalmers would probably go somewhere else given his recent showing (and again, derailing Rose) in the playoffs.

And who can forget the Dallas Mavericks? In what was an improbable ascendancy to the top, the Mavs are geared up to defend their title. Wait what, Dallas defending? Oh right, they can play defense now, sorry for the bad pun. But it will be intriguing since the backbone of that defense is a free agent and I don’t know how much more Mark Cuban can shell out, even if he’s really willing to shell out for his buddies. But I’m pretty sure Tyson Chandler will be back. Who wouldn’t want to go for a back-to-back? Caron Butler wasn’t sorely missed nor needed as Shawn Marion suddenly had a resurrection. Who knows, Steve Nash might end up being traded and Rick Carlisle can finally have the Canadian to play some defense. It would be a reunion of sorts for Dirk, Cubes and Nash, though they’ll be sorely missing Mike Finley. Ahhh good times then, and I wonder if people still remember that.

Anyway, those are just a few rambling what ifs regarding the coming NBA season. But I’m pretty sure I’ll be wearing red and not green (not anytime soon). Just a final note, the Bulls will be more serious in defense this time. Cheers!