It is finally here! The NBA season has started and everything in the world is well again.

I have been waiting for the basketball season to start again since the day after game six of the championship game.

This season should be a very exciting one, due in part to the arrival of some extremely talented rookies, as well as the resurgence of some spectacular veterans.

Even though the season is only eight days old, we have seen some impressive performances from some rookies around the league. Allen Iverson is one rookie standout that has caught everyone’s eye.

Iverson scored 30 points in his first regular season game, and that is just the beginning. Iverson is the first guard to be taken as a number one pick in the draft since Magic Johnson.

Another rookie who has made his presence felt already is John Wallace. Playing for the Knicks, Wallace has found a role and is producing for a team from which many expect great things.

Wallace will experience more success with his team this year than Iverson, but there is no denying Iverson the personal glory he will achieve just by playing the way he can.

As far as the Knicks go, they will make it to the conference finals, but will fall to Chicago as usual.

Chicago will win the NBA crown once more this year without question. It doesn’t matter what other teams do to beef up their rosters. The Bulls have this season wrapped up.

Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Dennis Rodman, and Scottie Pippen will all be free agents after this year, and each one will do his best to prove he is still the best in the league at his job.

I do not, however, expect the Bulls to look the same after this season. Being from the Chicago area and a huge Bulls fan, this saddens me greatly. But, like Jordan said, eventually the team will have to rebuild, and he will not stick around for it.

The Western Conference is a harder one to pick this year. I can tell you one thing though, the Sonics will not be in the NBA Finals. This season’s Western Conference champion will be either the Rockets or the Lakers.

The Rockets have Barkley now, and he fill the only void in an otherwise potent offense. Plus, Houston’s defense should improve with Barkley there to rough people up down low.

The Lakers have Shaq, and a solid offense to get him the ball. Having Shaq also makes defense a little easier for any team.

The Rockets will win in the West because Olajuwon is better than Shaq, Drexler is still a superstar, and Barkley is, well, he is Barkley.

All of this is meaningless though. Chicago will win its fifth championship of the Jordan era, and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

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Brandon Belisle is a junior in journalismand mass communication from Plainfield, Ill.