The NBA season starts soon. For those of you that don't know, I'm very happy about this. Basketball is a big deal to me. An eight year gap separates my older brother from myself. My younger brother is three years younger than me. My mother always use to say that Ed grew up watching Sesame Street and Power Rangers, Dan and I grew up watching his basketball games and ESPN. As crazy as this sounds, playing in grade school and high school was my way of connecting with my older brother. I grew up admiring him, and I wanted to be him. Naturally, I took to the game because he loved it so much. My younger brother followed suit, so in a way it was always a way I felt connected to both of them. even if we rarely played together. I remember thinking how cool it was playing for the same school's Ed played for. Even in fifth grade, I always put on that uniform with pride knowing he was in this locker room once, getting ready to play his hardest, and I was representing him now. Not only him, but my entire family.

Anyway with tip-off coming soon, I have a few questions lingering. In hopes to encourage healthy discussions among friends, I submit these inquiries to you.

First: How long will Derrick Rose make it this season?

I am a Bulls fan, Ed loved MJ and the Bulls, and I mirrored that, and I really do like Derrick Rose. I feel like he has been a victim of unfortunate circumstances. All these injuries break my heart, and people who ridicule him are simply ignorant. People who make fun of any injury are heartless. With his most recent injury, a left orbital fracture, everyone is already saying he should retire. First of all, this injury is a lot less severe than his previous knee injuries. He has been cleared for non-contact practice just two and a half weeks after surgery. The fan in me hopes he goes off all season and walks away with another MVP trophy, but the realist in me says I don't know if he will get MVP like stats. He'll get game changing stats, but I think MVP like stats might be stretching it this year.

If his knees are that bad, can he play all year? I believe he will suit up for every game. If they clinch a playoff spot early, I bet the Bulls will rest him. I'm calling 72-75 games this regular season for Rose.

Second: Will Lebron finally bring a title to Cleveland?

After a crushing defeat by Golden State in the Finals, the Cavaliers will saddle up again with the hopes to win that title that has eluded them twice now. To say they aren't at least in the conversation to become this season's champions is ludicrous. Lebron, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving will be reunited with a squad that has a lot of energy and potential. Just like when James joined Miami a few years back, there were growing pains. These three have been the stars on their teams since they came into the NBA, and they needed a year to adjust to the new additions.

They have had a year to work on their team chemistry and get all the problems work out. Even the Miami team didn't win the title every year. They lost their first year, and then they took it the next two years. I want Chicago to win badly, but I don't know if they can get enough going against a Cleveland team at full strength. Even the Spurs will have their work cut out for them. I truly think that this is the year that the Cleveland finally gets their trophy, if not it will be a total bust.

Finally: Can the Warriors go back-to-back this year and win it all, or can they even get back to the Finals?

I'm not going to lie, I'm very skeptical. The Western Conference is a grueling group of 15 teams. Last year, the Thunder were missing Kevin Durant. This season, he should be ready to devastate defenses with Russell Westbrook. The Rockets, Spurs, and Clippers are all teams that can definitely stand their own ground in the playoffs. Let's not forget the scrappy Trailblazers and Pelicans. Of course, you never want to sleep on a team like the Suns and Timberwolves because they will steal a win from a team who is counting them out. Don't get me wrong, the Warriors will most likely make the postseason again, but can their shooting get them a second crown in a row? Can the Splash Brothers stay calibrated all season? They will be a fun team to watch, but I don't see them getting another championship this year. I honestly don't have much faith that they'll get back to the Finals.

Now all these speculations are fun, but they are just that. If the best team on paper won it all every year, then I think the Cavs would have won something by now. That's what makes sports so much fun. Whether you are playing JV ball in fifth grade or a college athletes battling for a berth in the Final Four, you always have a chance. Every team starts at the same point, 0-0. Each game is a blank canvas. Will the outcome be a masterpiece or a nightmare? There is only one way to find out.