Mirtoic weakened by surgery

Chicago Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg provided an update on Nikola Mirotic before Wednesday's game.

The Bulls are facing an uphill struggle in the coming days with top scorer Jimmy Butler expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a left-knee strain. It sounds like Mirotic will be out at least that long recovering from a appendicitis and hematoma removal.

"He had his stitches removed today," Hoiberg said. "He lost about 15 pounds after the procedure. It's just about getting him comfortable again and getting his strength back up. Hopefully he'll be able to get into the pool in the next couple days and just start working that back up.

"Hopefully we'll get him back. I don't know exactly a time frame on it, but in the stretch run, where he'll be very important to our team."

Hoiberg talked about how the illness was a tough blow for Mirotic and the Bulls. Before having the appendectomy on Jan. 27, he scored 15 and 17 points in the previous two games. Mirotic is the Bulls' fourth-leading scorer on the season.

"From the sound of things, it was the first complication this particular doctor has ever had in an appendix removal," Hoiberg said. "So it's hard. It's a tough blow for Niko. The important thing is getting him right."

Gasol happy to be all-star:

Pau Gasol is generally happy about being on the Eastern Conference all-star team. He was chosen to replace injured teammate Jimmy Butler.

"I wish he (Butler) could play and he could be healthy and he could be playing in the game because he deserves it," Gasol told reporters at Wednesday's shootaround. "He's having an incredible year and should be recognized for it.

"The good news is that they picked me to replace him and so I'm proud and honored to be in the All-Star Game again and replace my teammate."

Gasol missed being voted a start by a few hundred votes. One reason he's glad to be playing in Toronto on Sunday is it's the final all-star appearance for former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant.

"I wanted to be in (Bryant's) last All-Star Game," Gasol said. "What Kobe means to me as a teammate as a friend, it means a lot, so I wanted to be there."

Portis learns defense:

The Bulls' injuries have led to more minutes for younger guys and, naturally, more mistakes on the defensive end.

Coach Fred Hoiberg acknowledged the animated discussion between rookie Bobby Portis and Pau Gasol during a timeout in Monday's loss at Charlotte.

"There was one incident, he and Pau were having a pretty good discussion on the bench about a missed assignment," Hoiberg said. "I thought (Portis) was much better as the game went on. His shows are getting better. He had a nice rotation the other day, just different things you really don't see much in the college game that Bobby's getting better at.

"That's a great sign. He's still out there playing hard, playing his tail off. Now it's about continue to grow and not make those mistakes that lead to easy baskets."

Bull horns:

Coach Fred Hoiberg said Jimmy Butler is planning to attend Sunday's All-Star Game in Toronto, even though he can't play due to a knee injury. … Longtime Bulls public-address announcer Ray Clay returned to his old post Wednesday as a fill-in for Tommy Edwards.