Hyping the Schedule

While Jimmy Butler is busy helping the U.S. men's basketball team go for its third straight Olympic gold, the NBA is conducting business as usual.  In the case of Thursday, that meant releasing the 2016-17 schedule.  And the Bulls had enough of an interesting offseason to drum up interest in them once more after missing the playoffs last year.  It's so high, they'll make 34 national TV appearances.

Following a preseason few really care about unless your name is Tom Thibodeau, the Bulls will begin meaningful action Oct. 27 against the Boston Celtics at the United Center.  That will be two days after the season kicks off, so they'll have some extra time to prepare.  For the seventh straight year, the Bulls will play on Christmas Day, this time in San Antonio against Pau Gasol's Spurs.  Those are the two games everyone looks forward to each year, but here are five others that many agree will hold particularly high interest.

Nov. 4 vs. New York Knicks:  Do I really need to explain why this is notable except utter the names Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah?  The schedule makers got it right by having the two best players from the 2011 conference finalists face their old team in Chicago first and early on.  Noah is expected to receive a warm ovation, but the real question is how will the crowd respond to Rose?  Regardless, emotions should run high for them as well as the fans and that should result in some memorable basketball.

Nov. 10 at Miami Heat:  Again, the makers did the right thing by having Dwyane Wade return to South Beach early and in the teams' first meeting.  American Airlines Arena, notorious for having smaller crowds in the regular season, is sure to sell out in a tribute to the best player in Heat history.  Wade will definitely get the same positive crowd reaction Michael Jordan got whenever he returned to Chicago in a Wizards uniform.  It might be awkward to see Pat Riley though after how this summer played out.

Dec. 2 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers:  As long as LeBron James is in top basketball form, this will always be an intriguing match-up.  Here, the teams will play each other for the first time.  You always want to know how well you stack up against the defending champs, especially just over a month into the season.  Of lesser note, this also marks the Chicago return of Mike Dunleavy.

Dec. 13 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves:  By this time, we'll have an idea of what kind of team Thibodeau's bunch will be.  If that quality young talent responds well to his coaching style, they'll be an exciting group and Thibodeau will be all to eager to display that in Chicago.  If Gar Forman and John Paxson are anywhere near the United Center that night, they'll have more guts than people often give them credit for.  Expect Thibodeau to receive a nice ovation from the fans.

Feb. 8 at Golden State Warriors:  The first meeting between the Bulls and the NBA's newest super-team will come at a time when everyone should know where their seasons are headed.  With Kevin Durant in the mix, the Warriors should approach the 73-9 season they had last year.  The Bulls, if all goes well, should be in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race.  This probably means a Bulls loss is imminent here, but the team has been known to surprise when we least expect it.

Naturally, other plots and subplots will emerge throughout the season, but at the moment, these are what we most have to look forward to.  The three-and-a-half months before it all begins to play out can be torture, but patience is a virtue.  That's plenty of time for other narratives to form.  Will you be ready for them?