“The Last Dance” offered a glimpse into Michael Jordan’s personal story. (Getty Images)

The last time Michael Jordan competed in an NBA arena George W. Bush was president of the United States, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the governor of California, cost of gas was $1.83 per gallon, and a young Harvard University student named Mark Zuckerberg launched a website called Facemash.

When ESPN aired the first episodes of the 10-part docuseries “The Last Dance” chronicling the final championship run of the Chicago Bulls dynasty during the 1990s with rare interviews and never-before-seen footage, it not only shattered cable sports ratings records but it gave a new generation of sports fans a glimpse into the personal story of the athlete regarded by many as the greatest basketball player on the planet.

The premiere of “Last Dance” averaged 6.3 million viewers, making it the highest-rated ESPN documentary and doubling the viewership of the next-best ESPN film. The previous high was 3.6 million viewers for “You Don’t Know Bo” in 2012. The Jordan docuseries is generating plenty of buzz to the point where odds have been released for an Emmy Award. See below (odds from SBD).

ESPN had originally scheduled “Last Dance” to air in June, coinciding with the end of the NBA season. But the film series got moved up when the novel coronavirus pandemic shut down all sporting events in the U.S. and quarantined millions of people in their homes. It was a genius move because America and the rest of the world were starving for fresh sports content.

“Last Dance” couldn’t have come at a better time. It filled the void left by the absence of basketball while we shelter in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The success of the docuseries also proved that Jordan, now in his 50s, is still very much relevant today. When he talks, people listen. And he didn’t hold anything back in “Last Dance.”

“My mentality was to win at any cost,” Jordan said in one of the episodes.

The Jordan film gave many young people who didn’t get to see MJ in his prime a small window into his personal story. It explained how Jordan went from Mike Jordan to Michael Jordan while at the University of North Carolina. It revealed how he developed a fierce competitive edge, the drive and determination that pushed him to greatness. Before MJ arrived in Chicago, it was a moribund franchise carrying an unsavory tag of “traveling cocaine circus.”

The docuseries also showed Jordan at his lowest point. Most of us remember the MVPs, the Larry O’Brien trophies, the victory cigars and the championship parades. But it took Jordan seven years before winning his first championship ring. Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics eliminated Jordan and the Bulls twice. Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons “Bad Boys” tormented Jordan in the postseason for three years. Detroit brutally knocked out Chicago in 1988, 1989 and 1990 before the Bulls finally broke through in 1991 with one memorable sweep.

Even after retirement, Jordan’s legendary status has grown leaps and bounds over the years. His immense shadow is so huge we don’t even blink whenever the G.O.A.T. conversation comes up. The greatest of all time debate starts and ends with Michael Jordan. It’s hard to make a case for anyone else. And it’s hardly a debate when it comes to the shoe game. As Spike Lee’s Mars Blackman would say, “Money, it’s gotta be the shoes.” Former sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro had the vision to make Jordan the face of Nike, and CEO Phil Knight helped make it a reality. Nike’s original plan was to promote multiple athletes, but Vaccaro insisted Jordan should be the lone face of the campaign and urged Nike to go all-in on him. The rest was history.

Michael Jordan holds up an autographed AJ19 shoe. (AP)

Nike’s Air Jordan brand remains one of the most popular sneakers in the world. You basically need to venture into the black market to find a pair of Jordan 1s, Jordan 6s and Jordan 11s.

On the court, Jordan was an assassin. He brought a 24/7 killer mentality that made opponents quit and drove teammates insane. That competitive fire pushed him to six NBA championships in eight seasons — three-peating twice. Only Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics teams and the Shaq-Kobe L.A. Lakers were the other other teams to pull off the rare feat. Jordan never lost in the NBA Finals. He won six Finals MVPs. He kept Hall of Famers Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, John Stockton and Karl Malone from winning even one title. Jordan was so beloved referees would blow their whistles when you get too close to him, and they would look the other way when Jordan used his off hand to push off while going for a shot. Yes, Jordan shoved Bryon Russell to the ground when he drained his iconic shot in the 1998 NBA Finals. But who cares, right? He’s Air Jordan. He’s a hero to a lot of people, and heroes always win at the end of the movie.

Perhaps Jordan’s greatest contribution to the game of basketball was the impact he had on the next generation of ballers. He spawned several mini-Mikes. He created the template for guys like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Allen Iverson, and Dwyane Wade. Kobe mimicked everything Jordan did, even the way he walked and talked. Chicago native Wade grew up in the shadows of the United Center. Iverson admitted he wanted to “be like Mike” during his Hall of Fame speech.

LeBron often refers to Jordan as Black Jesus. He considers him the gold standard in the sport and isn’t shy about calling him his “idol.” LeBron has been chasing Jordan’s ghost for years. King James has won three NBA championships in his career and would love nothing more than to at least match MJ’s ring collection. It’s almost impossible to surpass or even match Jordan’s greatness, but LeBron is willing to try. “I wear the number (23) because of Mike,” LeBron said. “I think I fell in love with the game because of Mike, just seeing what he was able to accomplish. But I felt like Mike was so — you know, when you’re growing up and you’re seeing Michael Jordan, it’s almost like a god.”

Derrick Rose missed the entire 2012-13 season because of issues with his surgically repaired left knee. (GETTY IMAGES)

It has been 18 months since Derrick Rose last played in a meaningful game. If you’re a Chicago Bulls fan, it must seem like 18 years.

Rose says he’s ready to take the court when the Bulls open the season. That’s all good for team morale,  but the bigger question is which Derrick Rose are we going to see when he takes the court? Rose was suppose to be ready by the 2013 playoffs but for whatever reason he bailed out on the idea and decided to shut it down for a season.

That caused many to wonder if Rose will ever get over the mental hurdle of his devastating knee injury that has consumed him and the organization for two years.

“I should be able to play in the first game of the season,” Rose said during a promotional tour. “I know I’m anxious right now to play. My health is everything right now. It’s 100 percent.”

Rose’s teammates, as well as head coach Tom Thibodeau, is behind him 100 percent. They believe in his talent and trust his judgment. If he felt he wasn’t ready five months ago, then the Bulls will roll with that. Thibodeau wants (and needs) a healthy Derrick Rose for an entire season because anything less won’t cut it in a top-heavy Eastern Conference.

OneManFastBreak.net examines the teams in the Central Division and where they’ll finish:

1-CHICAGO BULLS

Thibodeau is glad to have Rose back for two reasons: 1) he gains a superstar who can create offense for the team and himself, and 2) he doesn’t have to answer questions from the media on when his superstar will be back. The Bulls competed hard against the Heat in the 2013 conference semifinals, as Thibodeau squeezed every once of energy out of his undermanned squad. But in the end injuries and Miami’s sheer talent was too much to overcome. If there was a silver lining in the series it was the emergence of guard/forward Jimmy Butler. The third-year man out of Marquette went head-to-head with LeBron James and didn’t blink. Thibs has penciled in Butler as the starting shooting guard when training camp opened. “He’s an excellent athlete, very explosive, very quick to the ball. That tells you how he sees the game. His reaction to the ball is special. He’s very quick, strong, can think ahead, very strong,” Thibs told Comcast Sports. Not bringing back super sub Nate Robinson was a bit of a surprise, but Thibs still has Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson to bring energy and experience off the bench. Luol Deng enters the final year of his contract and will be playing for a long-term, lucrative extension. Deng is only 28 and an important cog in Thibs’ system, so re-signing him should be a top priority.

2-INDIANA PACERS

Frank Vogel has built a monster ballclub in basketball-crazy Indiana. The Pacers are big, young, athletic, and nasty. If you watched last season’s conference finals you saw how the Pacers posed a difficult matchup for the Heat. The biggest matchup nightmare is 7-2, 280-pound center Roy Hibbert. The former Georgetown Hoya was a beast in the paint during the Pacers’ seven-game war with the Heat, and he was the main reason why Miami signed 7-footer Greg Oden, despite all his health issues, in the offeason. Hibbert worked out with Tim Duncan during the offseason and claims he’s in the best shape of his career. Scary thought considering he played at an All-Star level during the playoffs. But Hibbert is just one half of Indiana’s studly 1-2 punch. What really excites Pacers fans is the growth of swingman Paul George. George made the All-Star game for the first time, and he should be a fixture there for years to come. Indiana’s top brass recently went all in on the 6-8 forward, signing him to a max contract worth around $90 million for five years.

3-CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Fiery owner Dan Gilbert admitted he made a mistake firing head coach Mike Brown three years ago. Gilbert corrected his mistake by bringing back Brown to lead a young but talented bunch led by budding superstar Kyrie Irving. The No. 1 pick of the 2011 draft and 2012 Rookie of the Year is slowly helping Cavs fans get over the LeBron breakup, and with good reason. Irving showed flashes of greatness in his second year, averaging 22 points and leading the league in fourth-quarter scoring. Injuries have been the only drawback for an otherwise dynamite first two seasons for the former Duke Blue Devil. Irving is already considered one of the top best point guards in the Association, and his needle is still pointing up. Speaking of injuries, the Cavs rolled the dice in the offeason with the signing of often-injured center Andrew Bynum. If Bynum plays, the Cavs get dominant big man with a championship pedigree. Rookie forward Anthony Bennett, the 2013 top overall selection out of UNLV, still has a ways to go before he gets in basketball shape, but the Cavs are really excited about his potential. Bennett has drawn comparisons to another former UNLV star, Larry Johnson.

4-DETROIT PISTONS

The Bad Boys are back! Well, sort of. General Manager Joe Dumars had a very busy offseason, ditching Jose Calderon, Brandon Knight, and Jason Maxiell and bringing in Josh Smith, Brandon Jennings, and fan favorite Chauncey Billups. Dumars also picked up some talent in the draft, selecting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tony Mitchell, and Peyton Siva. There are so many new parts in Detroit the state’s auto industry could receive a big boost. Dumars coveted Smith to pair up with his young big men in Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. But that would mean Smith would need to play small forward, and that eliminates his advantages against slower power forwards. It will be interesting to see how new head coach Maurice Cheeks utilizes his bigs because all three have limitations offensively. Smith and Monroe are not good enough shooters to space the floor, and Drummond is a true low-post player who won’t drift to the perimeter unlike most centers today. Jennings is a huge upgrade over Knight. When he’s shooting well, Jennings can play against anyone in the league. But when’s off, he can shoot you out of a game. Billups, 37, returns to the Motor City but he’ll be more of mentor to Jennings.

5-MILWAUKEE BUCKS

To say that the Bucks are in a transition year is a huge understatement. General manager John Hammond cleaned house, removing the entire coaching staff and gutting out the roster. Ersan Ilyasova, Larry Sanders, and John Henson are the only holdovers from the 2012-13 squad. To fill in the blanks, Hammond picked up O.J. Mayo, Zaza Pachulia, and Gary Neal, and brought back Carlos Delfino and Luke Ridnour. Brandon Jennings was shipped to Detroit in exchange for Brandon Knight. There are so many retreads in Milwaukee you’d think the city is selling stock for Goodwill. And the Bucks are likely not done tweaking the roster. Sanders and Henson are essentially the same player. They’re ultrathin forwards with limited offensive skills but tremendous shot-blockers. Hammond should be able to work out a deal for one (or both) in exchange for more offense, which the Bucks badly need.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

LeBron James is defended by Jimmy Butler. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Miami Heat are 41-3 in their last 44 games, an incredible run that makes you wonder if anyone can beat the Heat in a seven-game series. Don’t tell that to the Chicago Bulls.

The Heat have lost just three games in the last four months, but two of those losses came against the Bulls. One of them was the epic battle in Chicago on March 27 that ended the Heat’s 27-game winning streak. During the regular season, the Bulls and the Heat split their four-game series. It doesn’t matter if the Bulls are healthy or not, they give the Heat a run each and every time. And since 2010 when LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade joined forces in South Beach, the Bulls are the only NBA team to have a winning record vs. the Big 3.

After Monday’s stunning 93-86 win in Miami in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals — with no Derrick Rose, no Kirk Hinrich, and no Luol Deng — the Bulls are now 3-2 against the Heat this season and 9-8 since 2010. The Heat have been held under 90 points only 11 times during the season, and the Bulls have done it three times to the Heat.

So why do these Bulls give the Heat such a hard time? We could go several ways, but the simply answer lies in the foundation laid down by head coach Tom Thibodeau.

The Bulls’ head coach comes from the Pat Riley coaching tree. He was an assistant under Jeff Van Gundy — a Riley protege — for seven seasons with the New York Knicks and four seasons with the Houston Rockets. Van Gundy learned all his defensive philosophies from Riley, and Thibodeau picked Van Gundy’s brain and added his own slice. Much like those Knicks teams in the 1990s, Thibodeau’s Bulls subscribe to three things: effort, energy, and execution. The Bulls play with passion, they work hard on every possession, and they follow the game plan to near perfection.

“Coach [Thibodeau] always harps on winning your matchup,” Bulls guard Nate Robinson said. “We play as hard as we can for as long as we can.”

Thibodeau is great at identifying a team’s weakness and exploits it. Oftentimes, great scorers struggle against the Bulls because Thibodeau knows how to make star players feel uncomfortable and force the supporting players into tough situations.

“They play Bulls ball. They’re rugged,” says James, who has seen his share of struggles against Thibodeau-coached teams going back to Thibs’ days as an assistant with the Boston Celtics when James was a Cleveland Cavalier.

The Heat love to isolate LeBron or D-Wade at the elbows, and they are very successful against most teams but not against the Bulls. James and Wade struggle to get to the rim because the Bulls load up on James or Wade and force them to give up the ball. If the Heat role players end up shooting the ball, the Bulls have done their job.

Loading up basically means taking away what the opposition likes to do, forcing a team’s best player into a crowd and taking the ball out of his hands. For this to work, you need a strong perimeter defender and a big man who is strong enough to protect the rim and quick enough to close out on shooters. The Bulls have lockdown defenders such as Hinrich, Deng, and second-year player Jimmy Butler. They also possess athletic big men such as Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson, who cover the rim and recover on shooters. It’s basically a soft zone defense, with an emphasis on constant ball pressure.

If a player gets beat off the dribble, one player steps in to help and the man he’s guarding is then picked up by another teammate. Thibs calls this “helping the helper” or “playing on a string.” You’ll hear this a lot from Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who also runs the Riley system and preaches the same defensive philosophies.

The beauty of the Thibodeau scheme is that the parts are interchangeable. Each player’s role is defined, which makes is easier to plug in guys in case of foul trouble or injuries. That’s why the Bulls keep on winning despite not having All-Stars Rose and Deng because the next guy up knows the scheme. Robinson steps into the vacuum left by Rose and Butler is more than capable of filling in for Deng. Robinson may not duplicate what Rose does, but he’s confident enough to carry the team for stretches. The same can be said of Butler, who is an emerging star in the playoffs. Thibodeau loves tough-minded, two-way players, and Robinson and Butler are capable scorers who defend their positions. They can win their matchups.

Imagine if the Bulls had a starting five of Rose, Hinrich (who makes life miserable for Wade), Deng, Carlos Boozer, and Noah. And coming off the bench you have Robinson, Butler, Marco Belinelli, and Gibson. Talk about a formidable nine-man rotation.

If there’s a team that can knock out the Heat in the playoffs, it’s Thibodeau’s Bulls.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

LeBron James says he’s frustrated by the hard fouls. (GETTY IMAGES)

Moments after the Miami Heat left the United Center court losers for the first time since Super Bowl Sunday, they reflected on the 27-game winning they had just accomplished then the mood turned sour when LeBron dished out his frustration over what he calls non-basketball plays against him.

The Bulls roughed up LeBron in a 101-97 win that ended the Heat’s historic streak, which fell six short of the 33-game record set by the 1971-72 Lakers. It was a game that had playoff intensity and the physical nature of the game brought back memories of the wrestling matches that were prevalent in the 1980s.

So, what is it about the Bulls who always seem to give the Heat a run for their money?

“I don’t know if I like that question,” James said. “We hear that a lot, the Miami Heat didn’t make it tough on other teams. It’s always the Bulls, or Pacers, or the Knicks or whatever the case may be. Teams make it tough on us, we make it tough on them.

“When you have two well-coached teams it’ll make it a competitive game. That’s what it is all about.”

James may downplay the Heat-Bulls rivalry, but the hatred is there. Bulls center Joakim Noah calls LeBron his “enemy” and LeBron admits he has a “history” with Noah, going back to his days in Cleveland. The Bulls’ calling card is defense and toughness, and they play to their strengths each and every night. On Wednesday night, the plan was to pound the Heat on the boards and don’t let them get out in transition.

James understands that teams will always try to pound the Heat inside because that is their perceived weakness. But what he doesn’t like is the borderline dirty plays that the Bulls and other teams employ to get an edge. James specifically pointed out two plays that infuriated him: the tackle by Kirk Hinrich in the first half to prevent his break-away layup and the WWE-style takedown by Taj Gibson in the second half that sent him to the floor hard.

“A lot of [the fouls on me] are not basketball plays. Kirk Hinrich basically grabbed me with two hands and brought me to the ground,” James said of the Bulls guard, who has a reputation for being a pest on defense.

By the letter of the NBA law, Hinrich made no effort to go for the ball on James’ drive. It was a flagrant foul deserves a fine. Hinrich would have been better off just staying stationary and take the charging call. Instead, he clearly pulled down LeBron and the Heat star had every right to be upset.

The final straw for LeBron came in the fourth quarter when Gibson smacked him above the shoulder (a flagrant foul if you go by the letter of the NBA law) to prevent a dunk.

“He was able to collar me on my shoulder and bring me to the ground. Those are not basketball plays,”LeBron said of Gibson’s hard foul, which was originally called a flagrant 1 but when officials reviewed the play it was downgraded to a regular foul which infuriated the Heat.

“I’ve been able to keep my cool and tell [Coach Erik Spoelstra] let’s not worry about it too much. But it is getting to me a little bit,” said James, whose frustration boiled over with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter when he lowered his shoulder and unloaded a blow to Carlos Boozer while trying to get over a screen. James was handed a flagrant 1, but he didn’t care. He had enough.

“Every time I try to defend myself I face the consequence of a flagrant on me or a technical foul. It’s tough,” James said. “I play the game with a lot of aggression, I understand the [hard fouls]. But it’s frustrating.”

Chicago Bulls All-Star guard Derrick Rose may not be ready to return just yet. (GETTY IMAGES)

Derrick Rose won’t rush back just to play this season if he isn’t ready. That’s the message the Chicago Bulls star conveyed to reporters when his team visited Boston Wednesday night.

”If it’s where it’s taking me a long time and I’m still not feeling right, I wouldn’t mind missing this year,” said Rose, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a playoff against Philadelphia nearly a year ago. He has not played this season, but he has been practicing and traveling with the team.

”I would love to play this year. I would love to,” the 2010-11 NBA MVP said. “That’s why I approach my rehab and my workout so hard. I’m trying to get back out there on the court as quickly as possible. But if I have anything later on there’s no point.”

Even though Rose hasn’t suffered any setbacks he admitted that he is unable to dunk, which concerns him a little bit. ”My leg still isn’t feeling right,” he said. ”I know if I could dunk off stride, I know I’d be out there playing. But I can’t.”

Rose said the team is not rushing him to come back. Which is the right approach because we’re talking about the face of the franchise here. With a healthy Derrick Rose, the Bulls are a championship team capable of taking down the defending champion Miami Heat, so rushing Rose to the court just to win a few games in February, March, and April is a gamble that pays very little.

”It’s really on me to make a decision when I’m going to play again. So that’s cool that they left it up to me,” he said. ”That’s the last thing I’m thinking about, coming back too soon. I know it’s all on me. I’ve just got to make a decision when I’m ready.”

One concern, Rose said, is that he doesn’t want to have to avoid contact. Although he’s working on his outside shot, he doesn’t want to limit his game once he returns.

”I’m working on my shot, but you’re not going to label me as a shooter,” he said. ”My game is always going to be driving.”

Rose has played three-on-three and one-on-one recently, and the Bulls are carefully organizing his workouts. The Bulls are currently in the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference and not too far away from securing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. But the playoffs are far from Rose’s mind at the moment.

Carlos Boozer is averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds in his last seven games. (GETTY IMAGES)

Don’t look now but the Chicago Bulls are beginning to look like contenders again. The Bulls manhandled the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, 97-58, and star point guard Derrick Rose is reportedly on schedule to return to the lineup after the All-Star break.

That’s great news for the Bulls, bad news for the rest of the league.

“I see him in the gym working really, really hard. He wants to come back 100 percent, so for us we’re just trying to hold it down until he gets back,” Bulls guard Nate Robinson said about Rose, who is close to going full speed in practice.

Robinson has been a pleasant surprise for the Bulls this season. He’s averaging nearly 11 points per game off the bench (playing 21 minutes) and has energized the Chicago second unit.

Rose says he has gained some muscle rehabilitating and his jump shot has improved. If that’s true, look out!

Head coach Tom Thibodeau is not going to rush Rose back into the lineup, and he wants to make sure the face of the franchise is completely sound before he even gets into full scrimmages at practice.

In the meantime, the Bulls are holding it down until Rose returns. The team has won five out of seven and even much-maligned forward Carlos Boozer is playing well. Boozer is averaging 22 points and 10 rebounds in his last seven games, and his frontcourt partner Joakim Noah is averaging a double-double (12 and 10) for the season.

The Bulls held the Hawks to just five points in the second quarter and led 48-20 at the break. Ivan Johnson had a basket for the Hawks with 2:54 left in the first quarter, and Atlanta did not score again until Al Horford’s tip with 5:15 left in the second. The Hawks missed 17 consecutive shots during the drought while getting outscored 14-0.

They finished the 2 for 21 from the field in the second quarter, with Smith making a free throw and a jumper for Atlanta’s other points. The Hawks shot 20.5 percent on 8-of-39 shooting in the first half. Josh Smith was 3-for-10 and Horford 2-for-8 in the first half.

The Bulls set a record for the fewest points allowed, eclipsing the previous mark of 59 by Orlando last March 19. Atlanta’s 20 points in the first half also set a Chicago record for the fewest allowed in a half, bettering the 22 scored by the Knicks in 1999. The Bulls also limited New York to five points in the second quarter of that game.

”We have to play a certain way,” Thibodeau told the Associated Press. ”When we came out I thought Joakim and Carlos set the tone.”

Noah wasn’t surprise by the defensive performance.

”I wasn’t shocked, but our mindset was more be ready for the first 5 or 6 minutes of that third quarter. We had been in positions where we were up by 25, 26 points and lost before. So we feel no lead is big enough,” Noah said.

The Chicago Bulls don’t expect Derrick Rose to be back until around January or February. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

There is a good chance that Derrick Rose may not be ready to play until after the All-Star break, and this means the Central Division is up for grabs.

The Indiana Pacers — led by a young nucleus and a no-nonsense head coach — have the best shot at dethroning the Bulls as the kingpins of the division, but don’t count out the Detroit Pistons. Yes, I said it, the Pistons!

When Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said “let Detroit go bankrupt” I don’t think he was referring to the auto industry. Obviously, Romney was talking about the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons have been in a recession since Joe Dumars made the mistake of selecting Darko Milicic in the 2003 draft and compounded that mistake by dumping Chauncey Billups and moving Rodney Stuckey as the team’s starting point guard.

OneManFastBreak.net predicts the order of finish in the Central Division:

1-INDIANA PACERS — The Pacers saw a glimpse of what they can be when they stretched the Miami Heat to the limit. Indiana has the talent, the depth, and the approach to be a power player not only in the Central but in the Eastern Conference. The X factor is third-year forward Paul George. If the former Fresno State standout continues to grow as a player the Pacers will could land the No. 2 spot in the East behind Miami.

2-CHICAGO BULLS — The Bulls were able to push through a difficult season last year and still ended up with the best record in the East. But the difference this time around is they know Rose won’t be back any time soon, which changes the entire plan of attack for head coach Tom Thibodeau. The team reacquired guard Kirk Hinrich during the offseason to help stem the loss of Rose. Hinrich is one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA but he’s nowhere near the caliber of Rose, who accounts for more than 30% of the Bulls’ offense. Thibodeau’s defense is good enough to keep the Bulls in the playoff hunt, but it won’t take them past the first round if Rose doesn’t come back.

3-DETROIT PISTONS — Not many casual fans know this but Greg Monroe is one of the most versatile big men in basketball. He scores in the low post, runs the floor, and passes the ball like a guard. Head coach Lawrence Frank finally ditched the Rodney Stuckey point guard experiment last season when he put the ball in the hands of Brandon Knight. Now that he has a year under his belt as the team’s playmaker, Knight is primed for a breakout season. Watch out for 6-foot-11 rookie center Andre Drummond. The 19-year-old is very raw, but extremely gifted. He has already become somewhat of a YouTube sensation with his devastating dunks in the preseason.

4-MILWAUKEE BUCKS — During their short time together, Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings showed they could play together. We’ll see if that still holds in an 82-game schedule. In 21 games with the Bucks Ellis averaged 17.6 points, well below the numbers he put up in his last three years with Golden State. The fate of head coach Scott Skiles is tied to the Jennings-Ellis partnership. If it works, Skiles will stay. If it doesn’t, Skiles will be fired.

5-CLEVELAND CAVALIERS — Cavs fans had to hold their breath during the summer when star guard Kyrie Irving, the 2012 Rookie of the Year, injured his hand punching a padded wall in a Las Vegas gym. Reports say Irving has completely recovered from the painfully embarrassing episode and is ready to start in the season opener. That’s the good news. The bad news is rookie Dion Waiters is struggling mightily with his shot and the Cavs’ first-round selection in 2012 may not be as good as advertised.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer hasn’t lived up to his $80 million contract. (GETTY IMAGES)

Tom Thibodeau’s defensive scheme can most likely keep the Chicago Bulls afloat until superstar point guard Derrick Rose returns from ACL surgery. But as good as Thibodeau is as a defensive wizard, he’ll need one of his overpriced starters to help on the offensive end.

That means you, Carlos Boozer.

Boozer has been a model of inconsistency during his time in the Windy City. He often disappears in playoff games (sometimes an entire series) and he struggles against guys with length. In short he hasn’t lived up to his five-year, $80 million contract he signed three seasons ago as the Bulls’ big-splash acquisition in the summer of 2010.

For much of his career, Boozer has been able to ride on someone else’s back whether it was LeBron James in Cleveland, Deron Williams in Utah, and now Rose here in Chicago.

But because Rose won’t be ready until January or February, Boozer will need to step into the lead role.

“To me it all comes down to Carlos Boozer,” TNT analyst and Hall-of-Famer Reggie Miller said. “He has to find a way to regain that all-star form that he had in Utah. If he can do that, combine with Luol Deng, they can stay afloat but it’s gonna be very difficult.”

As a member of the Utah Jazz from 2004-09 Boozer averaged 19.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and shot 54.4 percent from the field. Since signing that massive free agent contract with the Bulls in 2010 Boozer’s averages dipped. He’s only averaging 16.2 points and 9.0 rebounds, and his shooting percentage is now at 52.1 percent.

“If you’re Tom Thibodeau you’re going to have to run the offense through Carlos Boozer. But he’s gonna have to want or demand the basketball as well,” Miller said. “He’s had more of a supporting role the last couple of years playing behind Deng and playing behind Rose. This is a chance to be a star again.”

When Boozer was in Utah, he got a lot of easy baskets off Jerry Sloan’s flex offense. If Boozer can do something well consistently it is set screens.

When Boozer and Rose are on the floor together Rose tends to use screens to free himself instead of looking for the roll guy. Thibodeau will need to dust off Sloan’s flex offense to get Boozer more touches. When Boozer gets involved he goes harder on the boards.

Expect a big bullseye on Boozer’s chest this season because the entire Bulls franchise needs him now more than ever to hold down the fort until D-Rose returns.

Projected finish in Central Division: Second.

Bulls guard Derrick Rose is coming off major knee surgery. (GETTY IMAGES)

Remember the opening line in the TV show “The Six Million Dollar Man”? Steve Austin. Astronaut. A man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to make the world’s first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man. Better than he was before. Better. Stronger. Faster.

Derrick Rose is now playing the role of Steve Austin. He has a newly reconstructed left knee after tearing his ACL in April. Prior to the injury, Rose was one of the most explosive players in the game. He could speed past defenders with ease, contort his body in midair and finish at the rim. Those are the type of moves that made him the NBA’s youngest MVP, and his enormous potential prompted the Bulls to ink the 23-year-old superstar to a $95-million contract extension in 2011.

But Rose is now at a crossroads. He is coming off major knee surgery and there are no guarantees he’ll return to his old form. Even Rose is a little worried.

Sports Illustrated writer Sam Amick recently wrote that Rose’s status for the 2012-13 season remains questionable, and the recovery process could extend all the way through February. Rose is reportedly doing some heavy lifting (literally) in the gym to strengthen his upper body, but his lower body is the one that needs more attention. There is a small chance that Rose could miss the entire 2012-13 season, and a lot will depend on the team’s record. If the Bulls are out of playoff contention, the Bulls won’t hesitate to shut Rose down.

It has been five months since the injury happened, and Rose remembers it like it was yesterday.

The Chicago Bulls’ superstar told CSNChicago.com he spent “the whole time praying” during the MRI that he wasn’t seriously injured even though he heard a pop as he crashed to the court in the playoff opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 29.

“I remember it,” Rose said. “I remember everything. I remember jumping in the air and coming back down, and just that popping sound. I felt it actually tear when I laid all the way out and it just let go.

“I didn’t have that that much pain after that. In the beginning I did, but I didn’t want to yell or anything. When that happened, all I could think about was people just talking. You could hear the whole arena, people just whispering all around — one of the things, like ‘Not again. Come on, man. First game back. We had the win’ — and I was just hoping [it was] nothing serious,” Rose continued. “Then, we got to the hospital, got in the MRI machine, the whole time praying.

“Dr. [Brian] Cole, the Bulls doctor [who also performed the subsequent surgery], came up to me and told me it was torn. I couldn’t believe it. That’s the closest thing to death, the closest to death I’ve got to right there, where it just seemed like the wind and everything was taken out [of me].”

Rose has been in Los Angeles rehabilitating the damaged knee and, as painful as the process has been, he says he’s right on schedule. So Bulls fans should stop worrying and start buying into team once more.

“I’m good, man. I definitely haven’t been out like that, but I’m doing fine, just trying to stay positive, keep everything normal,” Rose said. “Coming out to L.A. and just seeing the scenery, just being out here makes me feel good, with my friends out here making me feel more like I’m at home. Just doing therapy out here, five days out of the week. Weekends, I’m not doing anything. It’s been hard, definitely been hard. But I’ve been all right.

“The injury could have been way worse. You’ve got some people that probably feel worse than I am, but I know I’m going to be all right. I believe in God, my spirits are up and I believe in myself, and I know I’m going to be back even stronger.”

Orlando Woolridge played in the 1989 NBA Finals for the L.A. Lakers. (GETTY IMAGES)

Orlando Woolridge passed away at his parents home late Thursday night in Louisiana at the age of 52. He had a chronic heart condition.

Woolridge was a high flying athletic player during 13 seasons spent with seven different teams over the course of his career. He was drafted sixth overall by the Chicago Bulls and played for the team for five seasons. He left Chicago when the Bulls decided to focus on running their offense through Michael Jordan since they had very similar playing styles.

In 1988-89 after two seasons with the New Jersey Nets, Woolridge decided to head to Los Angeles and come off the bench for the Lakers.

“I just love it when we go up in the transition game, up and down the court, Magic (Johnson) looking for the open guy,” Woolridge told Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn shortly after joining the team in 1988. ” I get excited when we start playing like that. That’s the way I love playing.”

He averaged just under 10 points per game on the L.A. Lakers squad that got swept by the Pistons in the NBA Finals in 1989.

His best season was in 1990-91 when he played for the Denver Nuggets, averaging 25.1 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game. For his career, he averaged 16.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 851 games.

Darren Jacks is a contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at: djroxalot@hotmail.com