Not that the Chicago Bulls (17-5) will need that much firepower against a listless Washington Wizards (4-16) team, but they may have the services of SF Luol Deng relatively soon. According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Deng is rather close to returning. The Bulls head coach said so rather explicitly:

"I would say he's very close," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He's doing more and more and feels a lot better. We want to make sure he feels good about playing. He still has to take contact on it. As long as he's moving in the right direction, we're pleased with that."

Deng is averaging a career-high 5.8 rebounds per game in the 2011-2012 NBA season, adding to his equally valuable 15.9 points per game. The South Sudanese forward has missed over a week since tearing a ligament in his wrist.

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