Five weeks into this season, Chicago Bulls fans must have felt an awful sense of deja-vu. Despite a roster overhaul that spared only four key members of last year’s squad, the team seemed en route to its sixth straight season of at least 52 losses. Their record stood at 4-15, with seven of the losses by double-digit margins. The Bulls were beset by inexperience and poor shooting, and the United Center was frequently barren by the start of the fourth quarter.

The Bulls have managed to win 10 of 13 games since then, and coming into this weekend’s two-game series with the Knicks, they’re actually looking like contenders for the final seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The sudden turnaround evokes comparisons to three of last year’s feel-good stories around the NBA. Like the Grizzlies, the Bulls use a 10-man rotation – only guard Kirk Hinrich averages more than 30 minutes a game. This enables the team to employ a frequent full-court press and engage in other swarming defensive strategies that would fatigue a team with a shorter rotation.

Like Miami, a team that started very slowly last year before surging into the playoffs, the Bulls’ ascent has been keyed by a guard taken in the lottery. Rookie Ben Gordon, the no. 3 overall selection in the June draft, suffered through a miserable November, shooting only 35% from the field. But he rediscovered his stroke in December, nailing 51% from the field and an eye-popping 54% from three-point range.

Gordon’s 14.3 points per game in 24.1 minutes translates into a Dwayne Wade-ish 23.7 points per 40 minutes. The former UConn star has quickly become a reliable go-to option late in close games, something the Bulls have lacked since their championship era ended in 1998.

Lastly, the Bulls’ turnaround owes to a Pistons-caliber defense. They lead the league in opponents’ field-goal percentage at 41% and are second in defensive efficiency, (points per 100 possessions) at 96.4.That’s particularly impressive considering that no Bulls team since the title run has posted a defensive efficiency below 100.

The charge has been led by fourth-year power forward Tyson Chandler, who has established himself as a force in the paint and off the glass. Rookie forwards Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni are energetic perimeter defenders with nice mid-range games to match.

Center Eddie Curry has also impressed. For years, Curry displayed his offensive talents while remaining notoriously soft on defense and lax about his conditioning. This season, he showed up in shape, and while his offensive numbers have held steady, the team is now defending the pivot much more aggressively.

This year’s roster construction and floor time allocation reflect a change in managerial philosophy. After waiting three years for Curry and Chandler to become superstars, General Manager John Paxson has now opted to go the Pistons’ route and put together a balance team that can win without superstars. While Chandler and Curry may still develop into All-Stars (both are only 22), the team’s fate no longer depends on it.

The Bulls are one of the youngest teams in the league. Nocioni, 25, was a free agent signing from Argentina this season, and has contributed energetic defense at the small forward position. Deng, who was drafted out of Duke after his freshman year, ranks among the league’s top rookies with 13 points per game on 43% shooting. Second-year guard Hinrich has built on his solid rookie season by scoring more and shooting at an improved 41%.

Given the Bulls’ newfound defensive intensity and the fact that most of their players are still on the upward arcs of their careers, the team’s outlook is certainly bright. There are some potential problems, though.

Typical of a young team, the Bulls commit far too many fouls and turnovers, both of which will hurt them as the season wears on. As Gordon and Deng get accustomed to NBA officiating and their own teammates, these problems should diminish, but coach Scott Skiles has inexplicably made a pet of another prime offender, rookie point guard Chris Duhon.

The former Duke standout has received far more minutes than his play merits. Duhon is a fine backup, but he has no shot, something illustrated vividly in Monday’s win against Golden State, during which he bricked three open looks that might have closed out the game. Former Knick Frank Williams, meanwhile, has put up superior numbers in limited minutes, but continues to waste away at the end of the pine.

Nonetheless, it is an indicator of the Bulls’ progress that one of their biggest problems concerns the minutes allocated the fourth guard. At this time last year, the team couldn’t even find four NBA-caliber backcourt players.

The Bulls will look at this weekend’s games with the Knicks as a chance to announce their return to relevance. If they re-sign Curry and Chandler and use their mid-level exception for a reserve big man, the Bulls could soon charge into the Eastern Conference elite for another extended stay.