The Chicago Bulls haven?t been this hot since M?

 Um?Let?s not go there just quite yet.

 Although the Baby Bulls? current seven-game win streak is a first since the dynasty days of the franchise, let?s not, in any shape or form, compare the current edition to the Michael, Scottie and Phil-led squads that ran roughshod throughout the Association for the greater part of the 90?s.  

 However, it appears safe to say the 2004-2005 Chicago Bulls can no longer be looked upon as the Windy City whipping boys of the NBA, the franchise that seemed destined to be cursed until the end of time.  

 Cursed is perhaps the best and only way to describe the Bulls? post-dynasty era until this season.  

 Poor drafting, less-than-stellar head coaching (namely Tim ?Pink? Floyd and Bill Cartwright), bad trades - many of which showed a complete lack of patience on the part of management, shipping away the likes of youngsters Elton Brand, Ron Artest and Brad Miller way too soon - and foolish free-agent spending, resulted in a league-worst 119-341 record the past six seasons - the worst six-year stretch any team has ever suffered through in NBA history.

 Kind of puts former general manager Jerry Krause?s stubborn ?organizations win championships? proclamation into perspective, doesn?t it (Krause, of course, foolishly predicted he could win without the services of the ?Big Three? after the Bulls? last championship in 1998)?

 But out went Krause and in came former Bull John Paxson before the start of last season, and Chicago (17-18), slowly but surely, appears headed in the right direction once again.

 Paxson?s tenure, however, did not necessarily begin on the right foot.

 Looking to take the league by storm, Paxson boldly predicted playoffs for his young Bulls upon taking over from Krause.  His ?No Excuses? slogan for the ?03-?04 season became the talk of the Windy City, as the rookie GM was telling anyone who was willing to listen how there was a new sheriff in town.  

 Well, it didn?t take long for Paxson to detract from his exuberant pre-season prognostication.  

 Fourteen games in, after a 4-10 start, Cartwright was relived of his duties, veterans Jalen Rose - who at one time was thought to be the savior, dare I say the ?next MJ,? if you will? - and Donyell Marshall were dealt away, and before you knew it, fans were once again encouraged to remain - yes ? patient with their young, underachieving ball club.

 However, Cartwright?s firing, in more ways than one, ended up being the best move Paxson and the Bulls could make, as former Phoenix Suns bench boss Scott Skiles was subsequently hired to take over the reigns and attempt to turn the franchise?s fortunes around.  

 While Skiles? arrival did not lend to immediate success (he would finish 19-47 in his first season), the Baby Bulls have clearly bought into his defense-first philosophy this season, and the results speak for themselves.

 Chicago ranks first in the league in defensive field goal percentage, allowing opponents to shoot just over 41% from the field, while ranking in the top five in points-per-game allowed, giving up just under 92 points per contest.  After Monday?s 88-86 victory over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, the Bulls have now held an opponent to under 100 points for 22 consecutive games, which is truly remarkable considering only the expansion Charlotte Bobcats (34 games) have played fewer games than Chicago has (35 games).

 Every coach needs solid players, however, and Paxson, in particular through sound drafting and some unheralded transactions, has provided his coach with a solid nucleus to work with.

 Paxson?s first major move as GM was selecting Kansas point guard Kirk Hinrich with the seventh overall pick in the 2003 draft.  

 While Hinrich?s selection was met with some harsh criticism from fans, the 6-3 combo guard has not only provided stellar production (averaging 15.8 points and 7.1 assists this season) to the point where he should receive some All-Star consideration, but has emerged into the undisputed leader of the team.

 Add Hinrich to Paxson?s 2004 draft class, which included Connecticut guard Ben Gordon (13.6 points and .448 3FG%) and Duke?s Luol Deng (13.0 points, 5.6 rebounds per night) - whom Paxson acquired in a draft-night trade with the Phoenix Suns - and Chris Duhon - a second-round pick who has emerged as the team?s starting point guard - and the second-year executive has quietly built a solid core of young but proven commodities who have won at the collegiate level - an idea Paxson?s predecessor Krause scoffed at in recent years.

 Off-season acquisitions Andres Nocioni of Argentina, an ultra-scrappy role player who provides Skiles with solid defense and rebounding off the bench, Othella Harrington,  Eric Piatkowski and Adrian Griffin have tremendously bolstered Chicago?s depth this season - an area Paxson sorely needed to address after the team experimented with numerous NBDL call-ups last season.

 As a result, Chicago is arguably the deepest team in the league and is able to have a number of players step up on a nightly basis.

 If it?s not Hinrich providing solid all-around play, it?s Gordon (who I?ll go ahead right now and call ?The Silent Assassin,? as you shouldn?t be fooled by his shy, quiet demeanor; he can send a dagger through an opponent?s heart) coming through with a 30-point effort or a clutch fourth-quarter performance, as he did Monday versus the Knicks, scoring 13 points in the final frame, including a game-winning floater with .1 seconds remaining.  Deng can beat you off the dribble or in transition (despite what his detractors said of him at draft time, Deng has displayed terrific athleticism as a rookie).  ?Noc? can hit a big three or grab a huge board, and even Harrington has come through with big scoring efforts during stretches this season.

 And then, lost in the shuffle, you have twin towers Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler - the one-time undisputed cornerstones of the franchise - who have really come of age this season.  

Curry, who entered the season in the best shape of his life, has dedicated himself to playing hard at both ends of the floor.  While you would like the fourth-year center?s rebounding numbers to be slightly higher, Curry is nevertheless averaging a respectable 15.4 points and 6 rebounds on the year, while Chandler - never to be confused as an offensive scoring machine ? like Nocioni, is the quintessential role player, contributing solid defense and 9.3 rebounds in just over 27 minutes a game as Chicago?s sixth man.

 While the organization is encouraged with the development of both Curry and Chandler this season, what?s perhaps more revealing is the fact that neither has to be the franchise anymore for the Bulls to reach the next level.  Success does not rest squarely on their 22-year-old shoulders; they are now, more appropriately, complimentary pieces to the puzzle.  Will that sway Paxson from locking up both big men to long-term extensions this summer?  Perhaps.  But Curry and Chandler have a future in the Windy City.

 ?We?re a good team,? Hinrich said following Monday?s win. ?We have been playing like a good team, we?re No. 1 in the league in defensive field goal percentage, and that?s the sign of a good team.?

 ?It?s beautiful, man.  Beautiful to watch and beautiful to be a part of,? Curry added of the franchise's longest winning streak since '97-'98.
 
 Watch out.  Winning is contagious.  Give a young team some confidence and who knows where it?ll lead them.

 Hopefully back to their rightful place:  the NBA playoffs.