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Can Bulls stay afloat without Noah?

Well, the Bulls survived five weeks without Carlos Boozer, so they should be fine even with Joakim Noah missing 8-10 weeks with an injured right thumb, right?

Not so fast.

This is a case where the Bulls need to remember the recent past. When Noah missed time with plantar fasciitis last season, the bottom dropped out and the Bulls suffered through a 10-game losing streak.

That's when it became even more obvious Noah is the team's most valuable defensive player.

And while he's not going to shut down Dwight Howard or block 5 shots every game, Noah's energy and mobility allow him to give help, challenge a shot and grab the rebound often on the same possession.

There is really no player in the NBA quite like him, so obviously the Bulls have no way to replace Noah. Here are some ways they can make the best of this latest injury:

Thank their lucky stars they didn't trade Taj Gibson

He's not quite as tall or as fast as Noah, but Gibson can do many of the same things. He's a smart defender, uses his long arms to challenge shots and is capable of scoring 15 points on a good night.

So instead of Noah and Gibson, the Bulls will turn to Gibson and Boozer on the inside. All logic suggests the Bulls will not be as strong defensively with this lineup, but they've been on a roll in that department.

As of Thursday, the Bulls ranked third in the league in defensive field-goal percentage and eighth in points allowed.

If he's isolated, Boozer can look like a poor defender, but he obviously learned to play solid team defense in Utah. With Boozer in the lineup, the Bulls have limited four of their last six opponents to sub-40 percent shooting (including the Lakers and Thunder).

“There's no question in my mind that our guys are still confident that we've got enough to be successful on the floor and they'll continue to work together each and every night,” general manager Gar Forman said Thursday.

Don't expect any outside help

The list of recent NBA players who didn't latch on with a team this season is massive (Jake Voskuhl or Jared Reiner, anyone?) The Bulls can always grab another big body somewhere, but most of the available free agents aren't capable of playing significant minutes.

This is the role Kurt Thomas signed up for during the summer. At age 38, he'll sit when not needed. Now that he is needed, he'll be ready to play. He warmed up by netting his first basket of the season last week against Minnesota.

A trade is unlikely because there's not much bait on the roster right now. Rather than acquire a fill-in big man, the Bulls are scouring the league for a chance to make a smart move in February that might boost them into stronger playoff contention.

The one idle big man who could help is Rasheed Wallace. I've heard it's not beyond the realm of possibilities, but remember, he retired from Boston last season because his knees were supposedly shot.

If Wallace comes back, he's probably looking to be a very late addition on a title contender see P.J. Brown, Boston, 2008 not an early-season replacement.

The timing is right

While Boozer recovered from a broken right hand, the Bulls went 9-6 against the league's toughest schedule. The next 30 games feature mostly losing teams and long stretches of home games. So the Bulls might be able to hold their ground as a top-four playoff seed until Noah comes back.

Here's the biggest difference between the two injuries: Early in the season, Derrick Rose was often a one-man show capable of dragging the team to victory on his back.

Now there are likely to be more games like Wednesday in Toronto, when Rose finished with 6 points and 11 assists. Battered by a nasty fall against Indiana, Rose could take a back seat because Boozer obliterated the Raptors' defense for 34 easy points inside.

Bottom line: Noah will be missed, but the Bulls should still be tough to beat.

Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah, left, battles for a loose ball with Minnesota Timberwolves' Luke Ridnour during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)