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The Chicago Bulls saw the return of Richard Hamilton to their lineup this week and, at 16-13, are near the top 10 in NBA power rankings from around the web. The power rankings agree that the return of Hamilton improves the Bulls defense and can help improve the team overall as they await the return of Derrick Rose.
In Marc Stein's power rankings at ESPN, the Bulls come in at No. 11. John Schuhmann of NBA.com has Chicago one spot higher at No. 10 and notes that the Bulls have an upcoming streak of games against the Eastern Conference. In Kurt Helin's power rankings at Pro Basketball Talk, the Bulls receive their highest ranking, coming in at No. 9. John Hollinger's power ranking system at ESPN has Chicago all the way down at No. 16, their lowest ranking. It is worth noting that Hollinger's rankings are the only ones updated daily, and thus the only rankings that take into account the Bulls Dec. 31 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats.
Chicago has an overall average power ranking of 11.5.