(And they have three All-Star level players, too.)

First, the link to the Basketball-reference.com page of the Chicago Bulls. I didn't keep track of the previous rankings, but all three were in the 20's just a week or two ago. It's good to see that a) they're playing faster, and b) they're getting better because of it. It's encouraging.

Second, Taj Gibson is making my whole they-shoulda-kept-Tyrus Thomas thing a moot point (although his 23.3 PER* is pretty awesome**). That's a good thing. Still, of course, Gibson's trade value is shooting through the roof. I figure the Bulls will screw it up somehow, probably by keeping him too long, giving him $6 million per year through age 55, and then trying to trade him. I digress. The whole Ben-Gordon-shoulda-stayed thing isn't moot, though. His 19.1 PER would go along quite well with the 20.9, 20.6, 21.0 PER's of Rose, Gibson and Noah, respectively, quite well. I think that's how the Pistons built their championship team.

*Of course, Thomas's biggest contribution is on the defensive side and PER is known for rating offensive production higher than defensive. So... how good is he playing really?

**I definitely understand that using PER as an all-encompassing stat has its flaws, but I think, here, we might all agree that it represents how they're currently playing fairly well.