The NBA schedule has just been released, and for Bulls fans across the world this day marks the first view of the upcoming season’s schedule, one which will prominently feature a return of some guy who won the MVP one time and who most of the staff here at DRaT has a pretty homoerotic crush on.

In quickly glancing over the schedule, a couple of things stick out as noteworthy:

The Bulls open the season October 29 in Miami against the defending champs. Nothing like having to watch your most hated enemy hang up a banner to kick off the season. Imagine if Mitt Romney had to go to the presidential inauguration while being force fed coffee and other hot drinks. Fucking nightmare.

The Bulls home opener is on Halloween, against the spooky scary New York Knickerbockers. This game, like the one against Miami, will be played in front of a national audience on TNT. Look for Thibodeau to come dressed as an angry troll who lives under a bridge.

The annual circus trip will span from November 21-30. The Bulls will get a crack at Denver, Portland, the Clippers, Utah, Detroit and will wrap up against the Cavs. My early estimate is that the Bulls will go 5-1, but I’m pretty irrationally excited and could be talked into a 75 win season.

The Bulls have one other long stretch of games away from the UC from January 29-February 6. that trip will be a bit tougher, with games against the Spurs, Pels, Kings, Suns, Warriors and Lakers. I’m a little higher on New Orleans than some, but man I’m excited to watch Rose tear it up. I’m not making any sense. Basketball.

With the postseason just around the corner, the Bulls have a brutal stretch that runs through the middle of March. Although all games will be in Chicago, Miami-Memphis-SA-Houston is going to be a challenging stretch. Hopefully the team is healthy. No better way to announce that you are a true title contender than by ripping through that brutal stretch of games.

The Bulls have a rough schedule. The Central division is the strongest its been in years. The Bulls could be considered co-favorites with the Conference Finalist Pacers. The Cavs look like they will be formidable foes, with another year of Kyrie development plus whatever they squeeze out of Bynum and his degenerating knees. The Pistons made several big splashes this offseason and will look to break into the top eight in the East. And Milwaukee has warm bodies that can run up and down a court.

Ladies and gentleman, let the countdown to the 2013-14 season officially begin!!!