Without the NBA, I am lost in a stupor of televised Tim Tebow games and watching Nelson Cruz look lost at a position he played all year.

The only saving grace has been a successful Chicago Blackhawks team to this point, but even this cannot compare to the euphoria I feel when Stacey King channels Bill Lumbergh inquiring about memos.

Today was supposed to mark the season opener of Chicago Bulls basketball against none other than last year’s NBA champion, the Dallas Mavericks.

Instead, I will have to settle for another article discussing the gap between lock-out discussions and Lovie Smith informing me of how much they believe in Chris Conte.

Although the likelihood of games being played by December is very good, the fact that I know what could have been will ruin my whole day.

There’s just too much intrigue around this Bulls team for there to be any enjoyment of anything else.

Are they bringing “Big Sexy” back by resigning Kurt Thomas?

Will Carlos Boozer actually play basketball like a 260-pound man?

Obviously, the biggest story will be and is Derrick Rose.

How much has he improved his already stellar repertoire, and how much has he worked with his teammates during this lock-out?

The Bulls are coming off of a 62-win season, the highest since a man named Jordan put foot to the hardwood in Chicago.

The Bulls will be another year in under the oftentimes suffocating system of Tom Thibodeau.

So how will this impact the team after an already incredibly successful first year?

The NBA enjoyed one of its highest rated seasons in a long time, including a usually lack-luster Finals performance in terms of ratings.

Honestly, from that standpoint, the lockout will probably be a benefit, as it was with the NFL. Except the NBA is not the NFL; it does not enjoy ratings, no matter what the situation or game.

To me, the most important feature of the NBA and the Bulls losing any time is that Rose is losing out on any playing time at all.

The kid has potential to be one of the best at his position, ever.

He shouldn’t have to miss any minutes to make incredible plays just because the owners (who are already multi-millionaries to billionaires) lost a fraction of their net worth the past few years.