Noah Back Wednesday; Bulls Fans Blow Their Wods

ESPN - "He's coming back," he said in the telephone interview. "He was cleared to go last week."

Back for Toronto?

"Oh yeah," he said.

The Bulls have soared despite the voluble center's absence, going 22-8 since his last game on Dec. 15. At 38-16, the Bulls have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference and are within striking distance of Boston and Miami.

Noah was averaging 14 points and 11.7 rebounds before his surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb and hand. He has been working on his conditioning and shooting, and scrimmaging with a teammate after practice.

Thibodeau said Noah should have an easier adjustment than did Carlos Boozer, because Noah has played this season. But he's not expecting a seamless transition.

"That's the challenge," Thibodeau said. "Just like at the start of the season, the challenge is how quickly everyone can get on the same page. When someone comes back, it's the same thing. You don't want it to be a long adjustment."

Like any coach, Thibodeau doesn't want his team to get overconfident now that it's at full strength. Noah and Boozer only played nine games together between injuries and the team seems to be peaking. Miami comes to town Thursday.

"The important thing is to not lose sight of how you got there," Thibodeau said of the team's stature. "We have to play the same way, be ready and play hard. That's what you want."

Woooooooooo Weeeeee!!! The Bulls are about to take Chicago on a wild ride.  Now I'll be the first to admit, I was just like the rest of Chicago when the Bulls drafted Noah - pissed off.  That and I only use the Bulls as entertainment for like the three weeks between football and baseball season.  I mean just look at the guy - he's a long haired loud mouth who has a snaggle tooth and a shot similar to one a down syndrome patient would have.

Now all he does is put up double double after night and provides priceless energy to the entire team while banging Chicago's finest slam pieces on the reg.  Kurt Thomas served his role well and will continue to be a solid contributor off the bench.  The best part? The Bulls are only two games back, and Noah and Boozer have only played a hand full of games together.  The rest of the East should be shitting the bed right now.