This season for the NBA has a lot of hype and headlines. So lets get the ball rolling with some of the bigger story lines in the 2013-14 season. 

How will Derrick Rose perform?

As most people know during the 2011 NBA playoffs all-star point guard for the Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose tore his ACL and did not play the whole 2012-13 season. Now Rose is back and appears ready for the season. He says he is prepared to start game one of the new season and I am looking forward to seeing what he can do his first year back. So how will he do?

Rose being back pushes the Chicago Bulls back into the top of the Eastern Conference. They will be one of the teams that people should watch that could make a big impact and could possibly compete with the reigning defending champions, the Miami Heat. 

How will Dwight Howard do in Houston?

Over the offseason Dwight Howard decided to sign with the Houston Rockets. A team that surprised a lot of people by making the playoffs after acquiring both Jeremy Lin and James Harden in the previous year, the Rockets have a steady Center for Defense and scoring. But how does this help them against the rest of the West?

As contenders, I could see Houston coach Kevin McHale using these three players as a type of offense that Los Angeles used when they had Kobe Bryant and Shaq. Lin’s ability to feed the ball to other players, Harden’s ability to score from the outside with great precision, and now Howard’s ability to be strong and powerful inside makes this team an offensive threat for the rest of the teams in the Western Conference.

Will the Heat three-peat?

If you ask any expert on the NBA they will tell you that the Miami Heat are quite possibly the best team in the game. It is easy to see also Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh are one the scariest combinations I have ever seen in the NBA. They even compete with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. The question everyone wants to know is: can they be stopped?

I say yes they can. Even though they basically plowed their way through almost every team they faced, I think there is a way they can be beat. It is to play tough against them, teams can’t be afraid to play rough against the Heat, this is how the Chicago Bulls ended the Heat’s regular season winning streak. Also, with the teams that are being built nowadays, the competition is certainly not getting any easier. Teams like Oklahoma City, Houston, Chicago and Brooklyn are creating teams that can compete with the dominant Heat. 

How will the new look Nets compete in the East?

The Brooklyn Nets by far made some of the biggest moves of the offseason. They first was to sign recently retired NBA point guard Jason Kidd as their new head coach. Next they went and got both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, two all star players from the Boston Celtics. So where does this put the Nets?

I’m going to be honest here. The Brooklyn Nets are stacked at the starting positions; they are also looking solid on the bench. They are probably going to be one of the best teams in the East. I would even possibly venture to say top three. It is crazy to think just two years ago they were at the bottom and how far they have risen. I am looking forward to seeing what they can do this year.

This season in the NBA will be one to watch for sure and I am looking forward to every game. The regular season kicks off on Oct. 29 with The Indiana Pacers playing the Orlando Magic, and LA Lakers playing the LA Clippers, and the big game the Chicago Bulls vs. the Miami Heat.