Portis runs into ref problems
Bulls forward Bobby Portis is enjoying his increased role since Joakim Noah went out with a shoulder injury last week. The rookie from Arkansas scored 8 points in Monday's second quarter against Toronto, helping the Bulls erase an early 9-point deficit.
At the morning shootaround, Portis talked about running into a problem on Saturday in Dallas.
“I had a little, not jitters, but the refs kind of messed with my head a little bit,” Portis told reporters at the Advocate Center. “I've got to kind of block them out in these next couple games and just get back to my groove and get back to who I am.”
Refs messing with his head? Bulls fans might recall guys like Kirk Hinrich and Marcus Fizer chided by referees early in their career for excessive complaining. But Portis claims he doesn't say anything to the officials.
“I don't know. I just feel like every time I'm on the court they always go at me more than anybody,” Portis said. “Just like the last game, I was all the way down the court and I got a foul called on me.”
Sounds like an old, familiar story. It's a tradition in the NBA for rookies to earn their respect from referees.
Coach plugs defense:
Toronto coach Dwane Casey provided an optimistic outlook on the Bulls before Monday's contest.
“They're still a defensive team. You still have remnants. The core's still there. The DNA is still there,” he said. “It's been beaten in them, I guess, so to speak, which is a good thing. There's nothing wrong with that.”
Despite getting roughed up by Dallas, the Bulls still led the NBA in defensive field-goal percentage (. 418) on Monday morning.
“Everybody's beating them up right now. They still have Pau (Gasol), still have (Derrick) Rose, they still have (Jimmy) Butler. They still have excellent pieces. Just like a lot of teams, like we are now, just trying to get everybody back together, in rhythm and in sync. Chemistry is a huge part of this.”
McDermott scratched:
Doug McDermott was a late scratch Monday due to right knee soreness. McDermott had played in every game this season, but missed the second half at New York on Dec. 19 due to soreness in the same knee. The second-year forward had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee a year ago in December.
Hoiberg takes the bucket:
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg on Harlem Globetrotters legend Meadowlark Lemon, who passed away Monday at 83: “He meant so much to the game. I remember going to Globetrotter games as a kid. I think I got a bucket of confetti thrown on me and thought it was the water. But he was awesome — just such a great person for the sport, a showman. It's someone who will definitely be missed.”