Okay, so maybe the the game wasn’t that boring (see Tyrus Thomas), but the defending champions didn’t defend their title by losing to the Chicago Bulls by 42 points. Kirk Hinrich and Chris Duhon led the Bulls, who left the floor the the Miami Heat received their championship rings. The Heat’s loss was the largest margin ever by the defending champions in their opening game.

The Kobe Bryant-less Los Angeles Lakers came back from behind to defeat the Phoenix Suns. Lamar Odom put up 34 points, and Andrew Bynum and Maurice Evans put up promising numbers. Meanwhile, Leandro Barbosa was knocking down all sorts of shots for the Suns, which had Amare Stoudemire’s (six points in 12 minutes) regular season return spoiled.

After being waived by the New York Knicks, three teams have been named the front-runners for signing Jalen Rose. ESPN reports that the Suns, Heat, and Detroit Pistons are all debating making offers to the forward. In other Knicks news, the team has settled things with Larry Brown, with no announcement having been made on whether or not the former head coach will get his $60 million.

For the fantasy basketball owners out there, a few major injuries have kept players off the court:

Darius Songaila will be sitting out for the next couple months with a herniated disc in his back. In a team press release, the Washington Wizards announced that the power forward the need surgery.

Kobe Bryant didn’t play in the team’s opener against the Suns, but expects to return to action soon.

Dallas Maverick forward Devean George has been hospitalized with a stomach ailment. This isn’t the first time George has had the problem, so the situation is being monitored with caution.

Tyrus Thomas broke his nose in last night’s game against the Heat. “It’s cool. I’ve just got a headache,” he said. “I feel good about my performance.” Thomas will sit out and possibly return to Chicago to get a mask.

The Charlotte Bobcats center Primoz Brezec will miss the next two weeks recovering from dehydration and exhaustion after playing with the Slovenian national team this summer.