Bulls still sorting out late rotation

During Friday's preseason finale against Minnesota, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau used all three big-man combinations down the stretch. There were three substitutions involving Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Pau Gasol in the final 5:22.

So it seems clear the Bulls will not start the regular season with any particular finishing lineup in mind. The real games begin Wednesday against the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden.

"We'll see how it unfolds," Thibodeau said Sunday at the Advocate Center. "There's not enough time together to really make a final judgment, so we'll see. I'm always going to do what's best for the team. It's going to be based on performance."

Gasol knew the situation when he chose to sign with the Bulls this summer. There are three starting-caliber big men on the roster, which is nice. But at least one will be on the bench in the fourth quarter.

Last week Gasol said he plans to be out there in crunchtime, and if he's not it's an indication Thibodeau doesn't trust him to get the job done. He revisited the topic Sunday.

"More or less he told us that he is going to try and get a feel for the game," Gasol said. "We have three really good interior players that he feels comfortable can finish off games. We have to trust his abilities and judgment and work hard to deserve to be out there."

Nothing was settled in Friday's game. The Bulls squandered a 13-point lead late in the fourth quarter, so no one stood out. Thibodeau explained his frequent substitutions.

"Because we haven't played a lot with those guys, I wanted to see Jo and Derrick (Rose) out there together. I think it's good for Kirk (Hinrich) and Mike (Dunleavy) to be out there and Pau and Taj," he said. "Obviously, the fourth quarter is a lot different than the rest of the game. So you want to see who functions best together, and that's what we did."

Butler stays out:

Jimmy Butler did not participate in Sunday's practice, but he did shoot around when it was over. Butler is questionable for Wednesday's opener due to a sprained left thumb.

The Bulls didn't exactly shine defensively in the two preseason games he missed, giving up more than 100 points against both Cleveland and Minnesota.

"Well, he's important; they're all important," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "In this league you can't guard individually. You guard collectively. We can't rely on Jimmy to do everything for everybody. We can't rely on Jo (Noah); we can't rely on Taj (Gibson). It's got to be everybody tied together, and so we can't leave it to chance.

"There were a lot of good things offensively in the Minnesota game, a lot of bad things defensively, and so that needs to be corrected. When you look at the numbers from the preseason, we played like a .500 team. So if we want more than that we have to put more into it."

The Bulls went 4-4 in the preseason.

Gasol picks a sport:

Pau Gasol was asked Sunday which sporting event he's more likely to watch on television - NFL football or FC Barcelona soccer.

"Barcelona soccer," he answered. "Not all the games. Not all the games are as exciting. But I have a preference on what I grew up with. I enjoy watching American football as well."

• Get the latest Bulls news via Twitter by following @McGrawDHBulls.