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Rose likes having Hinrich back with Bulls

As the story goes, Derrick Rose didn’t put much effort into trying to recruit LeBron James during the free-agent frenzy of 2010.

But he did reach out this summer to try to bring former teammate Kirk Hinrich back to the Bulls.

“It’s huge. Kirk is the first person I recruited,” Rose said Monday at the Berto Center. “I know we’re going to be good together. Kirk is someone I could see myself playing with him for a long time.”

Hinrich, 31, played for the Bulls during Rose’s first two seasons and helped the No. 1 overall draft pick acclimate to the NBA. Ironically, the Bulls traded Hinrich to Washington in 2010 to open enough salary-cap room to make a run at signing James, who famously took his talents to South Beach instead.

Told about Rose’s recruiting claim, Hirnich laughed it off.

“We talked a couple times and he expressed that we wanted me on the team,” Hinrich said. “He thought it would be a good situation for the team and myself. I know Derrick. He’s a great kid. I’m excited to be on the same side as him and a lot of the other guys, as well.”

Hinrich was traded from Washington to Atlanta and returned to the Bulls as a free agent this summer. On Monday, he was again wearing the familiar No. 12 jersey.

“Definitely a little weird, but I’m excited,” he said. “Tomorrow probably won’t be as weird as it is today.”

Deng ignores wrist:Luol Deng tried to put the question to bed on Day 1 of the new season #151; yes, his left wrist feels fine and he has no plans to have surgery.#147;If I wake up tomorrow and need the surgery, I#146;ll let you guys know,#148; Deng told reporters at the Berto Center, while thinking of creative ways to tell everyone the wrist is OK.#147;I think I#146;ll paint my car. Every time I drive in, people will see it. Maybe they#146;ll put it on the Jumbotron at the UC.#148;Deng tore a ligament in his left wrist Jan. 21. After taking a couple of weeks off, he played through the pain the rest of the season. It clearly bothered him at times, and taking more than two left-handed dribbles usually didn#146;t turn out well.But he insisted on playing for Great Britain at the London Olympics, leading most people to assume he#146;d have surgery after the Olympics and miss the start of Bulls season.#147;He kept us updated all last spring,#148; coach Tom Thibodeau said. #147;He was feeling a lot better. He did a lot of things to strengthen his wrist. He was very optimistic before the Olympics that he wouldn#146;t need surgery.#148;Great Britain didn#146;t advance past the opening round in Olympic basketball, but Deng cherished the experience.#147;I#146;m glad I did it. If I have a chance to do it again, I will,#148; he said. #147;It was just a great experience. I had a great time.#148;Late roster additions:The Bulls added four players to the training-camp roster. Two have considerable NBA experience #151; center Kyrylo Fesenko and shooting guard Marko Jaric. The other new players are guards Ryan Allen, Andre Emmett and Vance Cooksey.Allen is one of Derrick Rose#146;s best friends and a former AAU teammate. The younger brother of Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen, Ryan played in high school at Whitney Young and Thornton, then in college for Wisconsin-Milwaukee.Jaric played seven seasons for the Clippers, Minnesota and Memphis but might be best known for marrying supermodel Adriana Lima. The couple welcomed their second daughter last month.Because they used two different salary-cap exceptions this summer, the Bulls are operating under a hard cap and most likely won#146;t be able to add another player until later in the regular season.That means all five late additions are virtually guaranteed to get cut.

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