Bulls vs. Lakers: Chicago Won't Earn Respect with Win over L.A.

The Bulls are expected to beat the dysfunctional Los Angeles Lakers today. Kobe is hurting with torn ligaments in his right wrist. They have a new coach, and Kobe is less than pleased with what the Lakers did in the offseason.

Couple that with the fact that the Bulls have made little structural changes to a young team that had the best record in the NBA last season.

The one major change is the addition of Richard Hamilton. Rip fits in seamlessly with the Bulls, as they run the same sets for him, as they ran for Kyle Korver, only he's three times the player Korver is.

Yes, all that should equal a victory for the Bulls. Still, everyone in Chicago knows that none of these wins will matter until the Bulls have scored one against the Miami Heat. That will be no easy task, especially if the first game of the series is any indication. The Heat throttled Dallas in the early game, and they looked awesome in doing it. LeBron played at both ends like the best player on the planet.

It is very scary how good the Heat looked, and to consider they are going to get better, it sets a very high standard for the Bulls to live up to.

It is true, the Heat were playing a Dallas team whose interior defense was horrible, as well as missing the bench scoring that JJ Barea used to provide. Still, you can't ignore how dominant a performance the Heat delivered.

When the Bulls take on the Lakers, I expect Derrick Rose to victimize the Lakers off the dribble. LA has absolutely no answer for him defensively. They may have to turn to rookies Andrew Goudelock or Darius Morris, as Derek Fisher and Steve Blake figure to be staring at the back of the MVP's jersey all night.

The Bulls frontcourt is healthy, and without Lamar Odom, they should be able to match up inside against the Lakers.

The Bulls should win this game 97-84, but the true test won't take place until LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are on the opposite bench.