Hornets' Kaminsky returns home
As he became a star at the University of Wisconsin and led the Badgers to consecutive Final Fours, Frank Kaminsky, Charlotte center, became somewhat renowned for his dry sense of humor.
The Benet Academy grad had a couple of subtle examples before playing his first professional game at the United Center on Friday.
First, he was asked which team his aunt, Karen Stack - who has worked in the Bulls front office for about 30 years - would be cheering for.
"Me," Kaminsky answered calmly. "She doesn't have a choice. I'm blood."
Then he was asked what he tells people when asked what it's like to play in the NBA.
"It's cool. That's normally what I say," he said. "There really is no other way to describe it. It's an awesome job."
The timing of Charlotte's trip to the United Center was actually pretty good. Kaminsky was expected to get more than his usual nine minutes per game because forward Cody Zeller is out with an ankle injury.
Kaminsky was the Hornets' first substitute of the game at the 6:12 mark of the first quarter. It took roughly 40 seconds to score his first pro bucket at the UC, a short runner after driving from the 3-point line into the lane. Kaminsky later missed a couple of 3-point shots, but logged 10 minutes in the first half alone.
Chosen by Charlotte with the ninth pick of last June's NBA Draft, Kaminsky said there were too many family and friends in attendance to count.
"Anytime I make a trip back to Chicago, it's a good time," he said. "Obviously, being from Chicago and having family that works for the Bulls, I've always been a huge fan. It's just awesome that I get to be back here and play in front of my family and friends, being in the NBA. It's a dream come true."
Kaminsky ready for offense:
Hornets coach Steve Clifford offered an assessment of 7-foot rookie Frank Kaminsky before Friday's game.
"To me, he's a good offensive player right now," Clifford said. "He's got size, feel for the game, he's confident. It's more (getting used to) the NBA game. The physicality of the game is so much different and then again just the defensive part. He's really made quicker gains than I thought he would.
"When you go from being a center in college, you're really getting almost no preparation for any of the stuff he has to do here. Not that he's at ground zero, because he played for a phenomenal coach (Bo Ryan at Wisconsin), so he has a foundation. But like tonight, he'll guard (Nikola) Mirotic, where literally in college, he guarded six feet from the basket."
No Thibs advice:
Before the Hornets beat the Bulls in Charlotte on Nov. 3, coach Steve Clifford said he had recently spoken to former colleague Tom Thibodeau and the ex-Bulls coach had about 37 suggestions for his team.
Any more advice before Friday's rematch?
"We're in the middle of seven (games) in 11 (days), so I haven't really talked to anybody," Clifford said. "You get into these stretches, it's pretty much 24/7 watching film, getting ready for the next game.