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Hoiberg travels near and far to prepare for season

Fred Hoiberg helped prepare for his first season as an NBA coach by literally embarking on a world tour. After summer league ended, Hoiberg set out to visit every player on the Bulls roster.

That meant a west coast swing, where he found Jimmy Butler in San Diego, Derrick Rose in Los Angeles, Joakim Noah in Santa Barbara and Aaron Brooks in Seattle. Then Hoiberg went to Spain and met with Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic while they prepared for last month's European championships. Most everyone else he found in Chicago.

"A lot of it was just getting to know the guys," Hoiberg said Monday at the Advocate Center. "We did watch film on how we want to play. In watching film, that's where coaching comes in. How are you going to use these guys?

"There's a lot of different things we'll do based on the talent of these players. As far as going out and seeing everybody, it was really just to build the relationships up with them and show them some areas where I thought they might get the ball on the floor so they could work on those skills when they were away from the gym here in Chicago."

Hoiberg appreciated the trip overseas. Besides meeting with his players, he got to witness a few days of Spanish training camp and said he considers Spain coach Sergio Scariolo one of the best in the world. Spain won the European championship and Gasol was named tournament MVP.

"What I saw Pau Gasol do in the European championship, especially in those last three games, was unbelievable," Hoiberg said. "So we'll play through Pau a lot, whether it's on the block, getting him the ball in pick and roll type actions."

Old and new injuries:

There were a few injury updates on Monday. The biggest concern is forward Mike Dunleavy, who had back surgery on Friday and is expected to be out 8-10 weeks. Coach Fred Hoiberg acknowledged the team might be extra cautious with Dunleavy's return.

"We need Mike Dunleavy healthy at the end of the season," Hoiberg said.

Taj Gibson had surgery on his left ankle in June. He might get some extra rest during training camp as a precaution, but general manager Gar Forman thinks Gibson had a "spring in his step" during recent informal workouts at the Advocate Center.

Forman said the same thing about Joakim Noah, who is hoping to bounce back from a season where he was clearly not at his best because of a sore knee.

"I just needed a little time to regroup and get healthy," Noah said. "That was my priority for the summer, and I'm really, really excited for the start of this season. I just really wanted to come back right for my teammates. Last year was very tough for me, just not being able to move the way I wanted to on the court, to be able to play the way I wanted to play. I'm excited to be back in Chicago and show my teammates I can be there for them."

Bull horns:

New coach Fred Hoiberg was asked if he had any plans to alter last year's starting lineup. "We've got 28 days to figure that out," he said. "I haven't made any decisions as far as who's going to be our starters. I don't care who starts. It's who finishes that's the most important thing." …

One late addition to the Bulls training camp roster is 6-foot-4 shooting guard Jordan Crawford. During four NBA seasons, Crawford averaged as many as 16.3 points per game for Washington in 2010-11. He didn't play in the league last year, splitting time between China and the D-League. …

Other late additions to Bulls camp are 6-2 guard Jake Anderson from Iowa State and 6-6 Marcus Simmons from USC. Cristiano Felicio, a 6-9 center from Brazil, was signed during the summer. Otherwise, every player from last season is back, except for rookie forward Bobby Portis taking the spot of veteran center Nazr Mohammed.

Chicago Bulls' head coach Fred Hoiberg, left, and Derrick Rose pose for a portrait during an NBA basketball media day Monday in Chicago. Associated Press
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