As preseason nears end, Bulls 'still trying to mix and match guys'
The NBA decided to ease up on back-to-back games this season. The difference is minor, with the Bulls scheduled for 16 sets of back-to-backs this year, compared to 20 last season.
To get warmed up, the Bulls will play preseason games on consecutive nights. After playing at Charlotte tonight, they'll return for their final exhibition at the United Center Tuesday against Indiana.
The preseason will end Friday against Dallas in Lincoln, Neb., and it sounds as if coach Fred Hoiberg is thinking about Friday's game as a regular season dress rehearsal. The next two days might be the last chance to consider different lineup combinations.
"It's still trying to mix and match guys," Hoiberg said after Sunday's practice at the Advocate Center. "Guys have been out. It's been a little difficult. But we're getting there. We're making progress."
Hoiberg said he plans to either rest Pau Gasol tonight or play him very little, just to keep his workload down. Gasol played heavy minutes for Spain last month in the European championships.
Tony Snell, who suffered a sprained right ankle last week, might be ready to play.
The Bulls are also looking forward to Taj Gibson playing more minutes this week. Gibson has been brought along slowly in preseason due to summer ankle surgery and has only played in one game.
Derrick Rose, meanwhile, is still not ready for full-contact practice as he continues to recover from a broken orbital bone below his left eye. Rose's availability for the Oct. 27 opener against Cleveland is unclear.
"(Rose) still has a little bit of blurry vision when he opens that (left) eye," Hoiberg said. "So a lot of times he's out there with one eye closed. So we don't want him to go out there and jar something or get hurt."
Hoiberg said Rose would make the trip to Charlotte, but there's no telling when he'll be ready to resume full practice.
"It's just so hard to say until that blurry vision goes away," Hoiberg said. "He's limited to the noncontact stuff. But he's talking about how that's improving every day. Hopefully he'll be back to full contact soon."
Another concern for the Bulls is the play of Jimmy Butler. After scoring 23 points in 25 minutes in the preseason opener against Milwaukee, Butler has averaged 7.3 points and shot 24 percent in the last four games.
"I think what he's trying to do is get other guys involved and have that playmaker role," Hoiberg said. "I think you'll see a more aggressive Jimmy, similar to how he played that first game, the rest of the preseason."
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