re: What's up with the Heatettes?

I don't blame the Heat for getting the superstar treatment. It's not their fault at all. It's just obvious that they get calls that few if any other players/teams get. I blame the Commish/refs for that.

I'm surprised more fans aren't disappointed with this but then again the NBA has lost some fans - most for good - because of the obvious preferential treatment that certain teams and players get.

The Heat aren't unbeatable. Bulls will give them all they can handle this year, and the Celtics' improved depth will let them at least compete with both teams.

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But they didn't really get any "superstar" calls.

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Yes they did.

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And you didn't watch

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Yes I did, just not the entire game.

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So why are you even trying to argue they did?

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Because they did.

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Bulls will give them all they can handle this year,

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How do you think Rip will fit with them?

I thought they should have gone for someone under the radar like Arron Afflalo - good defender, can shoot lights out from 3, and can hit a fairly good amount of his free throw attempts.

Rip can play defense if challenged to. He played for Brown in Detroit, where he became a very capable defender. Much like Ray Allen, he always had the frame and athletic ability to be a good defender. Both players just needed their team's style to request individual defensive effort for it to show in both of them.

As for the offensive side, he should help a lot. He got a lot of baseline screens where he could choose which baseline he wanted to come off when he was in Detroit, much like the Pacers used to do with Reggie Miller. I suspect the Bulls will do that at times too, though the offense will still go through Rose. So they'll have to take a little time to get used to each other's games.

Another good thing for Chicago is that Rip can play with the 2nd unit and give some scoring help in that group when they need him.

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Bron is gonna have a HUGE "frick YOU!" year, IMO.

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LeBron frustrates the hell out of me. I was excited when he came in the league because I was like okay this kid has some unreal athleticism and some of the best basketball skills from a guy coming straight out of high school since Garnett, but I hate that he fully embraced the whole "King" shite and got Jordan-like media and endorsement treatment before he was even proven.

The guy needs to spend less time worrying about endorsements, get a better management group (your goofy arse, ignorant high school buddy? really? REALLY?), and more time worrying about his overall basketball game.

He has unreal natural athleticism, but his basketball skills just aren't close to that level yet. The Heat need to find a coach that will motivate LeBron to bust his arse off day in and day out to improve every facet of his game and break him down and build him up again.

I just hope someone can do it while he still has his athletic edge.

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hate that he fully embraced the whole "King" shite and got Jordan-like media and endorsement treatment before he was even proven.

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You do realize these are the exact same criticism people leveled at Jordan from 1984-1991. That's quite ironic.

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Rip can play defense if challenged to. He played for Brown in Detroit, where he became a very capable defender. Much like Ray Allen, he always had the frame and athletic ability to be a good defender. Both players just needed their team's style to request individual defensive effort for it to show in both of them.

As for the offensive side, he should help a lot. He got a lot of baseline screens where he could choose which baseline he wanted to come off when he was in Detroit, much like the Pacers used to do with Reggie Miller. I suspect the Bulls will do that at times too, though the offense will still go through Rose. So they'll have to take a little time to get used to each other's games.

Another good thing for Chicago is that Rip can play with the 2nd unit and give some scoring help in that group when they need him.

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If this was the same Rip as 4-5 years ago, I'd put them as the easy favorites to win the Finals, but I'm just not sure how long it will take him to adjust to the new offense and the more intense defensive philosophies in Chicago and how well he'll fit in there.

It wouldn't be the first time he's been the weakest defensive link in an otherwise elite defensive starting five - granted, Boozer damn sure isn't at the level that 'Sheed was in the New Bad Boys days, but the Bulls do have a couple of elite defenders to rotate in off the bench, both in the post (Gibson) and on the perimeter (Brewer).

If the Bulls can duplicate the strategy that the Mavericks used last year in the Finals to defend LeBron - rotating 2 or 3 different guys to cover him each game - then I believe they will beat the Heat this year (I did pick the Bulls to win the East).

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If this was the same Rip as 4-5 years ago, I'd put them as the easy favorites to win the Finals, but I'm just not sure how long it will take him to adjust to the new offense and the more intense defensive philosophies in Chicago and how well he'll fit in there.

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He's still a good player. And the Bulls "offense" isn't very complex, so it's shouldn't be very long before he is adjusted.

Once again, he's played in defensive-oriented system. He knows what it takes.

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It wouldn't be the first time he's been the weakest defensive link in an otherwise elite defensive starting five - granted, Boozer damn sure isn't at the level that 'Sheed was in the New Bad Boys days, but the Bulls do have a couple of elite defenders to rotate in off the bench, both in the post (Gibson) and on the perimeter (Brewer).

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Chauncey wasn't a great defender, really. But he put more effort into it the longer he was in Detroit on competitive teams, and he became good. I'd say Rip was just as good of a defender as Chauncey. He'll be able to hold his own in Chicago.

I picked the Bulls to win it all. We'll see how they play.

I think this is your year, then.