McGraw: Gasol OK with sitting out end of games sometimes
With three preseason games remaining, Tom Thibodeau spoke Saturday about wanting to see some different fourth-quarter lineups.
On Thursday against Atlanta, Thibodeau used starters down the stretch for the first time. The Bulls' coach sent Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah and Jimmy Butler back on the floor with six minutes left and they finished a 21-point comeback. The Hawks used mostly subs late in the game.
"That's still a work in progress," Thibodeau said after practice at the Advocate Center. "We want to get a look at that."
The Bulls play their final preseason home game Sunday against Charlotte at the United Center. A day later, they'll face LeBron James, Kevin Love and the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers in Columbus, Ohio. The Cleveland game might be a good time to play through the final buzzer.
"We'll see," Thibodeau said. "I know Derrick (Rose) and Joakim have finished games before. Joakim and Taj (Gibson) have obviously finished a lot of games for us. I want to see Pau. I want to see him out there with those guys. See how it fits and maybe it is game-by-game. They have to be out there to make that determination."
Gibson was one of the Bulls' leading fourth-quarter scorers last season. So Thibodeau will have some tough lineup decisions to make with Gasol, Noah and Gibson.
Gasol, a four-time all-star, is planning to be on the floor in the fourth quarter.
"You always like to be in in the last minutes of the game, when the game's on the line," Gasol said. "It's good to be put in that position. It makes you feel like the coach trusts you to do the best thing out there on both ends of the floor.
"You also understand there will be nights when it might not be going your way and there's another guy who's playing extremely well. As long as you win the game, you should be OK with it."
Gasol obviously was well aware Carlos Boozer, last year's starting power forward, rarely played in the fourth quarter. The topic was discussed during Gasol's free-agent meeting with Bulls management in July. Gasol said they talked about how some teams will try to finish games with a "stretch four", which makes it tough for a bigger lineup to play defense.
"We've just got to figure it out," he said. "I take it one game at a time but obviously I want to be out on the floor when the game is on the line. That's what I've been getting paid for my entire career and that's what I will continue."
In the preseason, Gasol has averaged 10.6 points, 8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks while averaging 27 minutes. At 34, Gasol's workload figures to be lighter. But if he does end up sitting in the fourth quarters, it would be an unprecedented experience in his career.
"That's not a good sign when you're put in that position, because the coach doesn't rely on you to deliver in those minutes," Gasol said. "He basically doesn't trust you. He trusts someone else to do the job. So it's not a good sign for you."
Bull horns:
Coach Tom Thibodeau said Mike Dunleavy participated in practice and is expected to play Sunday against Charlotte. Dunleavy missed the Atlanta game with a sore left knee. … The Bulls made their first cuts of training camp Saturday, releasing Solomon Jones, Kim English and Ben Hansbrough. The roster now stands at 14 and will probably stay that way.