LeBron James put the pressure on himself during his Three Kings press conference upon signing with the Miami Heat. In his public comments, he said he planned to win “not one, not two” but seven championships. Midway through the season, the Heat is in a five-game losing streak and being ridiculed for crying after games. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls have beaten them all three times they’ve faced each other this season and are now second in the Eastern Conference. They’re led by former top overall pick Derrick Rose who has entrenched himself in the NBA MVP discussion.
The Bulls have size, youth, and speed, and they play tough defense. They may not reach the finals this year, but they’re in the discussion of best teams in the East along with Boston, Miami, and Orlando. If you ask owner Jerry Reinsdorf, he’s expecting much more than just deep playoff runs. According to the Chicago Sun-Times via SB Nation, Reinsdorf said “[The Bulls] have an outstanding coach, an outstanding bunch of players, the team is deep, and if we stay healthy, we have an awfully good chance of winning at least four championships.”
Maybe Jerry’s just hungover from the Michael Jordan era, but to expect four championships from Derrick Rose’s Bulls is far too lofty. We all see how good Chicago is with him at point guard, but there are so many other factors — including the rash of superstar teams — that can stand in Chicago’s way. Only way they can win four titles is if they have a bunch of officials like the ones from the Rutgers-St. John’s game helping them out.
