Derrick Rose is playing at an MVP level, Carlos Boozer is at an all-star level and if he didn’t tear ligaments in his thumb Joakim Noah would be an all-star also.

With everything on the up and up in Chicago, it’s only going to look better as eight of the next ten games are against teams under .500.

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The best thing about this is, no one is talking about the Bulls because of all of the other drama happening in the Eastern Conference.

The Boston Celtics are dealing with the injury to Kevin Garnett’s right leg, which was first said to be his knee but ESPN has the injury listed as his calf on Garnett’s player card. Besides the injury to one of their big three, the Celtics have been playing good ball and are at the top of the conference. If they fall off the top of the ladder or remain, there is going to be hoopla around the organization the duration of Garnett’s absence.

Miami is a circus show and as long as the team is still in existence with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Heat roster, they will always have more shine than Chicago.

The Orlando Magic were stagnant with their roster so they made headlines with blockbuster deals which moved Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus and Marcin Gortat while receiving Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu. This deal puts them back in the elite race because they now have players who want to win instead of simply being paid.

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While all this is going on, the Bulls are staying off the radar and doing what they have to do to win games.

Mentioned before, Noah had surgery on his thumb and has missed six games which has resulted in only two loses for the Bulls. The team hasn’t technically filled the void, but they are putting in players who are producing where Noah did, defensively. Kurt Thomas, Omer Asik and James Johnson have stepped up their game and have made a difference coming off the bench.

Carlos Boozer had a couple of rough games after his return from his broken hand, but since then he has been unstoppable and has opened up the Bulls offense like never before. Chicago finally has an inside presence to draw double teams but also has great passing skills to find the open shooter.

Rose, Kyle Korver and Keith Bogans are shining as shooters because of Boozers job inside.

The only thing to worry about is becoming complaisant against lesser teams such as the New Jersey Nets (twice), Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Bobcats.

Fortunately, the Bulls have a roster full of character guys who thrive on proving the masses wrong.

The only two winning teams in the next ten games are the Celtics and the Heat. If the Bulls continue to play at their current level they could possibly win both of these games.

My early prediction is: Chicago takes nine out of the next ten games.

Leave your prediction…

How will the Bulls finish in the next ten games?

Before Chicago lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 100-99, the Bulls were on the longest winning streak of the season and impressing the basketball world because of the high level of play since the team was back to full strength.

There is only one reason why the Bulls may have a tough time achieving the same type of streak, they’re no longer healthy.

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As most of you know, Joakim Noah had surgery on Thursday to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. According to Fred Tedeschi, Bulls athletic trainer. the surgery went well and Noah will be back on the court in 8-to-10 weeks.

The good thing is he’ll be back shortly before or after the NBA All-Star break to help Chicago solidify a top seed heading into the playoffs. Of course the bad part is, the Bulls have to play without their defensive anchor for at least 27 games, if he can come back in eight weeks. If he can’t return for 10 weeks, he’ll miss 33 games.

Optimistically the Bulls do have Carlos Boozer, who has stepped into the second scoring option in great stride averaging 18 points a game while grabbing eight rebounds. Since his return December 2, he has played in 10 games and has showings of 22 points or more in five of those games while finishing in double-digits in eight of his appearances.

Taj Gibson stepping in to fill the gap in center is bitter sweet because he is a reliable player on offense and will get 10 rebounds a game, but defensively he will be over sized against some divisional match ups including the Indiana Pacer’s Roy Hibbert, Cleveland Cavalier Anderson Varejao or Milwaukee Buck Andrew Bogut.

Unfortunately, Gibson might not suite up for Tuesday’s game against the 76ers because of the concussion he sustained on Saturday. Without him, the Bulls front line becomes extremely thin and is a red light to think the Bulls can win right away.

With this said, Boozer is going to have to watch his back at all times and Luol Deng, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer and James Johnson have to be efficient help defenders.

Omer Asik isn’t ready to start, but his game is developing enough to come off the bench and be a factor more than he has been. During the season he is averaging three points, three rebounds and a block a game while only playing 11 minutes. Noah is gone, so the seven footer has to step up and show the Bulls they were smart when they kept his draft rights for two years before he played an NBA game.

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While the Bulls are struggling to stay healthy and have to re-write the rotation, the 76ers have won four of their last five games including a 97-89 victory over the Orlando Magic Saturday.

Chicago has proved countless times it can rise above the odds while Philadelphia has proven they should never be trusted for a win. We’ll find out Tuesday, which prophecy will come true.

Figuring out which team will win a basketball game is tough, but so are other sports.

“Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts said, “No!” to getting knocked out of the playoffs by beating the Tennessee Titans this past Thursday!  Will Manning and the Colts say yes to another Super Bowl appearance?  The Super Bowl betting sportsbook is offering awesome Super Bowl odds on Peyton and Co. to win the big game!  If you like Peyton’s chances, then log on and take the Colts to win the 2011 Super Bowl!”

Unfortunately, Carlos Boozer tripped over a bag and broke his hand in the preseason. The offensively gifted power forward hasn’t played a game with the Bulls and the team is 7-4, not bad, considering Chicago’s $80 million dollar man is in streets clothes on the sideline.

Well, guess what, Boozer is scheduled to suite up for practice Nov. 30 and could be on the Bulls starting lineup as soon as Dec. 1.

What does Boozer playing mean to a team which is already shocking the league without a player who will get 20 points and 10 rebounds every game?

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It means the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics have to watch their back from falling from the two top spots in the Eastern Conference. Right now, the 7-4 Chicago Bulls are in third place, but with Boozer returning, the Bulls could very quickly gain the game and a half they’re back and build a lead of their own.

Dec. 1 has Chicago scheduled to play Orlando and then two days later, Dec. 3, the Bulls play the Celtics; isn’t this convenient and great NBA entertainment? Yes, yes it is.

This makes the Boozer deal even bigger, because the Bulls need the added depth and inside scoring to play with the bigger more physical Celtics and Dwight Howard. Not the Magic, just Howard.

Plus, the pro Rajon Rando/ anti Derrick Rose people will find out Rose  can match Rando’s dishing skills when he has someone to give the ball to.

After failing to sign one of the three players now in Miami, the Bulls were all but out of making progress from last season’s 41-41 regular season record and early dismissal from the playoffs as James and the top seeded Cleveland Cavaliers whooped Chicago.

Although, he isn’t the best player in the league or even in the top 20, he adds to something the Bulls haven’t had in some time, a chance to be a dominant team. Since 1998 when the Bulls won their sixth and final championship, they haven’t been past the second round of the playoffs and they only got there once.

Friday’s win against the Dallas Mavericks made it the first time the Bulls went 2-1 in Texas, against the Mavericks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, since, you guessed it, 1998.

The Bulls are on their way to becoming realistic title contenders and a few of the things they could use, inside depth and scoring, are sitting on their bench. I can’t wait until Boozer is cleared to play, so we can see what the Bulls can really do.

Other than that, nothing too exciting except I did well on my NBA picks, almost undefeated if it wasn’t for Granger.

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Here is my personal cheerleader, well…

SATURDAY’S PICKS (8-1)

Chicago Bulls beat Washington Wizards 103-96…Right, the Bulls were just too big and Rose won the one-on-one match up against John Wall.

Orlando Magic beat New Jersey Nets 91-90…Right, but barely, whats going on with the Magic, they’re playing bad basketball compared to what they’re capable of.

Utah Jazz beat Charlotte Bobcats 96-95…Right, again barely, what is going on with the Jazz as well?

Indiana Pacers beat Cleveland Cavaliers 99-85…Wrong, the Cavs play well at times then are horrible the next, Indiana is showing they could be moving from the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Miami Heat beat Toronto Raptors 109-100…Right, thought it’d be a bigger win, but it’s still a W.

New Orleans Hornets beat Portland Trailblazers 107-87…Right, Portland is stumbling, while the Hornets continue to sting.

Boston Celtics beat Memphis Grizzlies 116-110 in overtime…Right, Great game, Memphis is doing good things with their young lineup.

Milwaukee Bucks beat Golden State Warriors 79-72…Right, Warriors are falling apart, already.

San Antonio Spurs beat Philadelphia 76ers 116-93…Right…Tim Duncan and company are going to be a hard team to play with if they can stay healthy.

SUNDAY’S GAMES AND PICKS

The Atlanta Hawks and the Minnesota Timberwolves already played, so I won’t count this one. Atlanta won 111-105.

Detroit Pistons at Sacramento Kings…Pistons, they’re putting together a nice little string of wins and they have more experienced players.

San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder…Spurs, the Thunder can’t defend in the paint, which is where the Spurs dominate.

Houston Rockets at New York Knicks…Rockets, just not impressed with the Knicks, or the Rockets for that matter, but should win this one.

Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers…Lakers, they’re too big and dominant inside and can run with the Suns if they need to.

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Deng was zombie-like on the court producing minimal with body language asking “what should I do” ?

In the last three to four games he has been playing as if he wants to be part of this team by producing big numbers and coming to the court with some energy letting Bulls fans know he still knows how to play basketball. For a week, I thought he forgot.

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The main reason for the trade to Philadelphia would be to acquire Melo, and I’m still an advocate for this because he is better than Deng and Iguodala put together.

Other than getting Melo, Deng should probably stay with the Bulls instead of getting Iguodala. The reason I thought he should have been traded in the first place was because he wasn’t doing anything as he only scored 13 points, got two rebounds and turned the ball over four times in the season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder Oct. 27.

Three days later, the Bulls found themselves down by 21-points to the Detroit Pistons and made a dramatic comeback to win by 10 points, 101-91. Deng was on the bench in the fourth quarter of the comeback because he was a miserable 2-for-10 from the field for nine points and two rebounds in 26 minutes.

Without Carlos Boozer, who broke his hand in the preseason, Deng is the Bulls second option after Derrick Rose. In these first couple of games, he disappeared and was the fourth or fifth option behind Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and sometimes Kyle Korver off of the bench.

If that is how he was going to play, then yeah, he needed to be dealt.

Then came the Deng resurgence.

Nov. 1 he dropped 40 points off 14-of-19 shooting from the field against the Portland Trailblazers. Nov. 4 he helped Derrick Rose run fast breaks and added 17 points off of 3-of-4 shooting from the three-point line. The next day Chicago lost to Boston in overtime, but Deng scored 20 points, had six boards and a few assists on well placed passes to Noah in the paint.

Monday, the Bulls defeated the Nuggets behind an overall great team effort which was led by Deng’s 17 points. Thursday, the Bulls stomped the Golden State Warriors 120-90, who were led yet again by Deng who put up his first double-double of the season with 26 points and 11 rebounds and added six assists.

The Bulls have played seven games and Deng has been brilliant in three, solid in two and awful in two. If his game production was a win/loss record, it would look 5-2. Unless you’re Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James or Anthony, who play their A game 75 plus games a year, 5-2 should hold some merit.

Deng has stepped into his scoring role on the team helping the Bulls to a 4-3 record while Iguodala hasn’t been doing much for the 76ers as they look awful with a 2-6 record.

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Iggy has sat out the 76ers last two games with Achilles tendinitis in his right foot, so, the injury factor is already thrown in the mix of why the trade may not work. Even without injury, Deng is playing way better basketball as Iguodala has played with the “I don’t want to be here” mentality every one of his six games. The Bulls have a team full of strong character guys who don’t let little complications affect their basketball, it seems Iguodala is on a different page.

In his last game Nov. 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Iguodala only scored seven points and had four assists. His two efforts before the Cavalier game were 11 and 12 points with little to no effort on defense, helping his team score or grabbing rebounds.

He has had one good game, which was Oct. 29 in a 104-101 losing effort to the Atlanta Hawks when he had a double-double with 27 points and 10 assists, while also grabbing six boards.

With all the stats present, Deng is having a much better season offensively and defensively, which to be a Bull, players have to play both sides of the ball.

Deng’s play has transformed my first opinion of trading him to keeping him and let him remain the longest tenured Bulls player.

The Pacers tore it up, but unfortunately, I thought the game would go the other way for the Nuggets because no one would ever think the Pacers would shoot as good as they did. Mike Dunleavy had 24 points in the third quarter alone and finished with 31 points for the night.

Lets see how the rest of the night went around the League.

TUESDAY’S PICKS (4-3)

Indiana Pacers beat Denver Nuggets 144-113…Wrong, Nuggets could match the firepower of Indiana.

Cleveland Cavaliers beat New Jersey Nets 93-91…Right, Cavs are not a good team, but they’re one of the best of the bad teams.

Utah Jazz beat Miami Heat 116-114 in overtime…Wrong, Paul Millsap put up the most points in the NBA Tuesday with 46 because the Heat don’t have an inside defensive stopper.

New Orleans Hornets beat Los Angeles Clippers 101-82…Right, Hornets are 7-0 for the season and have beaten the Clippers 14 consecutive times.

Milwaukee Bucks beat New York Knicks 107-80…Wrong, Sorry I underestimated the Bucks, they put it on the Knicks, who have been shooting the ball well.

Portland Trailblazers beat Detroit Pistons 100-78…Right, Detroit simply over matched.

Los Angeles Lakers beat Minnesota Timberwolves 99-94…Right, the Lakers played some of their worst ball of the season and still won to either show the strength of the Lakers or how bad the Timberwolves are. LA is undefeated at 8-0.

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WEDNESDAY GAMES AND PICKS

Milwaukee Bucks at Atlanta Hawks…Hawks, although the Bucks played well Tuesday, they played the no defense Knicks, the Hawks are on a way higher level.

Utah Jazz at Orlando Magic…Magic, Paul Millsap isn’t going to score 46 points against Dwight Howard and the Magic defense.

Houston Rockets at Washington Wizards…Rockets, Houston has a better lineup and is playing better ball.

Charlotte Bobcats at Toronto Raptors…Raptors, game could go either way, but Toronto has been playing a little better as of late.

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New Jersey Nets at Cleveland Cavaliers…Cavs, they beat the Nets in New Jersey on Tuesday, no reason they can’t beat them at home.

Golden State Warriors at New York Knicks…Warriors, if the Knicks played like they did Tuesday, anyone can beat them.

Philadelphia 76ers at Oklahoma City Thunder…Thunder, the 76ers don’t have the scoring punch or inside defense to hang with the Thunder.

Dallas Mavericks at Memphis Grizzlies…Mavericks, the Grizzlies won the first meeting, I think Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki want to prove it was a fluke.

Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs…Spurs, they’re who we thought they were, a talented team with veteran leadership.

Minnesota Timberwolves at Sacramento Kings…Kings, they’re a solid team while the Timberwolves are struggling horribly.

MAKE YOUR PICKS

1) In the comment box

2) Send an email to brandon.lachance@bullshome.com

Saturday was another show of proof I should just not be a fan of any team, well, I’m going to anyway.

The Sacramento Kings were the only team I picked to win on Saturday to lose as they fell to the Memphis Grizzlies. Hmmm…what team’s band wagon should I jump on after I hop off of Sacramento’s wagon.

The almost perfect Saturday Results (8-1)

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Cleveland Cavaliers beat Washington Wizards 107-102…Right, Cavs are a better team without LeBron James than I thought they would be.

Orlando Magic beat Charlotte Bobcats 91-88…Right, Magic too big-too good.

Miami Heat beat New Jersey Nets 101-89…Right, Heat will beat the Nets every game.

New Orleans Hornets beat Milwaukee Bucks 91-87…Right, Hornets stay undefeated.

San Antonio Spurs beat Houston Rockets 124-121 in over time…Right, Spurs are playing great ball.

Denver Nuggets beat Dallas Mavericks 103-92…Right, Denver got its revenge.

Utah Jazz beat Los Angeles Clippers 109-107 in overtime…Right, Clippers itching for a win, nope, Deron Williams won’t let them scratch.

Portland Trailblazers beat Toronto Raptors 97-84…Right, Blazers have too much talent.

Memphis Grizzlies beat Sacramento Kings 100-91…Wrong, I don’t know what to say, I’m weaping.

SUNDAY PICKS

The Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks played at Noon, so I can’t pick a game already played. The Knicks shooters didn’t show up=76ers victory.

Phoenix Suns at Atlanta Hawks…Hawks, they stay undefeated because the Suns don’t have the players in the front court to match up Josh Smith and company.

Golden State Warriors at Detroit Pistons…Warriors, Golden State has a better team.

Minnesota Timberwolves at Houston Rockets…Houston, Kevin Martin and Luis Scola can win this game by themselves.

Boston Celtics at Oklahoma City Thunder…Celtics, the Thunder choke against top notch competition.

Portland Trailblazers at Los Angeles Lakers…Blazers, the Lakers have a tough time against the Blazers and they have been playing good basketball.

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I’m disappointed in the Bulls, favorite team, and the Blazers, one of my two bandwagon teams, couldn’t help me out. If they can’t who can, I guess Friday’s games will tell.

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Thursday Results (0-2)

New York Knicks beat Chicago Bulls 120-112…Wrong, the Knicks shot the lights out of the United Center and the Bulls defense didn’t do anything.

Oklahoma City Thunder beat Portland Trailblazers 107-106 in overtime…Wrong, Durant and Westbrook took it to them.

Friday’s Picks

Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics…Bulls, they have to play defense the entire game, if they do, they can beat the Celtics.

Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers…Bucks, Milwaukee is a complete team with better individual skill.

New Jersey Nets at Orlando Magic…Magic, too big, too talented, too better in every aspect.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers…Cavaliers, 76ers played well last game, but there are too many distractions with Andre Iguodala trade talk and coach Doug Collins has been bothered with illness.

Charlotte Bobcats at Detroit Pistons…Bobcats, two bad teams, Charlotte is better.

Washington Wizards at New York Knicks…Knicks, if they shoot anything similar to yesterday, they destroy the Wizards.

Miami Heat at New Orleans Hornets…Heat, Chris Paul will play well in an audition for the team, but Heat will kill them.

Atlanta Hawks at Minnesota Timberwolves…Hawks, Minnesota is terrible.

Memphis Grizzlies at Phoenix Suns…Suns, although they’re on the decline, they’re still better than the Grizzlies.

Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets…Nuggets, after the loss to San Antonio they want redemption.

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Utah Jazz at Golden State Warriors…Jazz, Deron Williams and Al Jefferson are starting to come alive.

Toronto Raptors at Los Angeles Lakers…Lakers, same old story, too good for team with minimal talent.

Anyway, It is 7 p.m. and Wednesday’s games have already started. I wasn’t able to get my picks out due to a migraine headache gracing me around lunch time and sticking by my side until somewhere around 6 p.m. I’m going to make my picks without looking at what is going on now. I promise I haven’t looked, it you don’t believe me, that is your problem.

Tuesday’s Picks

Atlanta Hawks beat Cleveland Cavaliers 100-88–Right, Hawks had too much in their favor.

Washington Wizards beat Philadelphia 76ers 116-115 in overtime–Right, Wall led the league in scoring Tuesday with 29 points to earn his first NBA victory.

Boston Celtics beat Detroit Pistons 109-86–Right, Boston is a team, Detroit has players.

Miami Heat beat Minnesota Timberwolves 129-97–Right, this game was over in July.

Portland Trailblazers beat Milwaukee Bucks 90-76–Right, I love it when teams we beat, win against other teams in the central division.

Los Angeles Lakers beat Memphis Grizzlies 124-105–Right, everyone had this game right.

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Wednesday’s Picks

Detroit Pistons at Atlanta Hawks–Hawks

Charlotte Bobcats at New Jersey Nets–Bobcats

Minnesota Timberwolves at Orlando Magic–Magic

Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers–Pacers

Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics–Celtics

New Orleans Hornets at Houston Rockets–Hornets

Dallas Mavericks at Denver Nuggets–Nuggets

Toronto Raptors at Utah Jazz–Jazz

San Antonio Spurs at Phoenix Suns–Spurs

Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors–Warriors

Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Clippers–Thunder

Los Angeles Lakers at Sacramento Kings–Lakers

I thought the way the Spurs performed against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday would carry over to the game against the New Orleans Hornets. I was wrong as Chris Paul showed he is healthy and back to prove he is one of the best players in the league scoring 25 points with seven rebounds and five assists.

The Hornets won 99-90 to give me my only blemish on the day.

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On a lighter note…8-1 is something to smile about.

John Wall scored 28 points and had nine assists for the Washington Wizards, but the Atlanta Hawks had too much talent with five players in double figures to get a 99-95 win.

Five Sacramento Kings scored in double figures as well, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 107-104.

LaMarcus Aldridge and the Portland Trailblazers beat the New York Knicks by 5, 100-95.

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The Pacers prove they are a better team than last year by playing all aspects of the game on a higher level not just Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers, 99-86, but also in their loss against the Spurs, where they stayed close.

The Memphis Grizzlies and the Denver Nuggets smacked their opponents and the Milwaukee Bucks pulled out a 10-point win against the Charlotte Bobcats.

Best of all: the Chicago Bulls came back from a 21-point deficit to beat the Detroit Pistons 101-91.