Last place in the Central Division, huh?

Any preseason prognosticators giving second thoughts to shoving the Bulls in the basement and locking them there?

No longer is the Barnum and Bailey Circus the number one attraction at the United Center.

The countdown until playoff ticket sales start has begun.

Am I jumping to conclusions? It’s a distinct possibility.

But any positive vibes emitting from the Chicago hardwood is reason to celebrate.

Six years below mediocrity looked like it was going to lead into a seventh as the Bulls came out of the gates at 0-9.

What has happened since then is nothing short of miraculous.

Coach Scott Skiles is preaching defense, players are listening, youngsters and veterans are meshing like peanut butter and jelly, and someone has finally managed to shove a smile, heart and killer instinct into Eddy Curry’s 6-11 frame.

Maybe it’s been the need for patience with the Baby Bulls, Tyson Chandler and Curry, and the fact the media placed the entire weight of the Windy City’s basketball livelihood on their still-developing shoulders.

Maybe it’s the good hoops karma drifting north from Champaign to the United Center.

All I know is that somewhere on their descent into obscurity, the Bulls found the road map to success that was lost following the departure of Michael Jordan and his posse that led the franchise to six titles in eight years.

How they found their way may be a mystery, but as long as they’re winning no one cares.

General Manager John Paxson has provided the ingredients through two phenomenal drafts that netted Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Chris Duhon; and Skiles has stirred the pot in such a way to get every ounce of ability and desire out of his players.

The Bulls’ current seven-game winning streak is the team’s longest since 1997-1998. They’ve held 22 consecutive opponents under 100 points, and their 17-9 record since the horrific start is second best in the Eastern Conference to the Miami Heat.

Impressive for a team that finished last last season.

Everyone on the Bulls bench has played a part.

Hinrich, who looks like a hobbit but plays like Stockton, has emerged as the team leader; Deng is a viable Rookie of the Year candidate; Argentine forward Andres Nocioni has provided a rush of energy off the bench and Gordon has become the most dangerous fourth-quarter weapon in the NBA.

But as many predicted, the key to the revitalization has been the emergence of Chandler and Curry.

Early in their professional tenures, Chandler and Curry tried to do everything. That wasn’t needed.

They needed someone in their ears telling them what their roles were and how to play them correctly.

“Eddy, you’re the scorer. Tyson, you’re the defender.”

That should have been said to them before the ink dried on their first contracts.

Plain and simple.

Tyson, Eddy and the rest of their teammates finally get it.

Every player has found their niche and after six years in the association’s doldrums, the Bulls have clawed their way out and found a way to win on a consistent basis.

Yes, it’s true the Eastern Conference is as strong as George Bush’s ability to formulate a coherent sentence.

And yes, it’s true that we are praising a team whose record resides one game below .500, but after six years of making the art of putting a ball into a basket look like nuclear physics, why not?

Basketball is fun again in Chicago.

How else would you explain Tyson Chandler in the stands Saturday celebrating with fans following his game-winning block or Curry and Gordon bear-hugging Skiles after Gordon won Monday’s game on a floater?

With 47 games left in the season, don’t cement their place in the postseason just yet.

But as many did before the season, don’t count them out either.