Chicago Bulls: Look Out NBA, Rose & Company are Healthy and Ready to Make a Run

After a hot start, the Chicago Bulls are back in the NBA Championship chatter.

Though the Bulls were without one of its two big star men for the better part of the first half of the season, the return of Joakim Noah will tip the balance of power in the East in Chicago's favor.

Chicago went 22-8 without Joakim in the lineup, but could easily of had a few less losses with Noah in the mix.

Carlos Boozer made his Bulls debut after missing the first 15 games of the season. He only got to play with Joakim for nine games before he went out with a thumb injury. The Bulls went 7-2 over that time period.

With Boozer not being known for his defensive prowess, Noah will pick up some of the defensive slack, allowing Boozer to spend more energy on the offensive end.

There have been major talks about how the Bulls need to pick up a shooting guard before the trade deadline. I feel that the team can make due with what it has now and should not risk the strong chemistry the team already has.

Keith Bogans has been almost non-existent on the offensive end, but Bogans is a solid defender and has not shown any effects of the fans unfavorable opinion of him being in the starting lineup.

With the re-emergence of Luol Deng, Derrick Rose has a third option when it comes to who will score the bulk of the points on the team. Instead of fans wanting Luol out of town like last season, they are cheering him on and his confidence has surely grown throughout the year.

Rose's MVP like performance this year has many people wondering if he can keep up the pace with all the weight he carries for this Bulls team.

Rose has more game winning shots than anyone else this year, and I don't see him slowing down at any point this season.

The Bulls, who went 5-5 against the other top teams in the league (Spurs, Lakers, Celtics, Magic Heat), were only at full strength for two of those games.

Now healthy, their record against the leagues elite will improve and I don't see any reason why Chicago can't claim the No. 1 seed in the East and make a strong run towards their first NBA Finals appearance since M.J. ran the Windy City.