Olympic gymnast turns heads at Chicago Bulls practice
Though they don't see eye-to-eye, the Chicago Bulls seemed to enjoy a visit from gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast Simone Biles during Wednesday's practice.
The 4-foot-9 Biles is in town for a performance with her U.S. teammates Thursday at the United Center.
"Around like 10:20, a whole crowd was in the gym and we're all like, 'Who's that? Why is there an entourage in our practice facility?' " Bulls guard Spencer Dinwiddie described. "And then it was her, so that was a pretty cool experience. A lot of guys got to take their picture with her and got to talk to her.
"I got to take my picture with one of the greatest Olympians or possibly going to be one of the greatest Olympians ever, so I thought that was a pretty cool experience."
Wait a minute, can't Dinwiddie take a picture with a great Olympian any day he wants? After all, Jimmy Butler resides in the same Bulls locker room.
"Jimmy, y'all know him," Dinwiddie said with a laugh. "His legend grows in his mind by the second. So no chance would I ever say Jimmy is a better Olympian than Simone Biles. I would never say that."
Busy slate ahead:
The Bulls have three preseason games in four days coming up, beginning Friday against Cleveland at the United Center. Coach Fred Hoiberg said some guys will get nights off, but he's not sure yet how it will break down.
"We've got a lot of guys who are sore," Hoiberg said. "It's been a very demanding camp. We wanted guys to really lay it down and be competitive and our guys have done that. With that comes some soreness. We'll be a little bit careful with the minutes these next couple games."
Hoiberg said two guys he wants to give more minutes this weekend are center Cristiano Felicio and second-round pick Paul Zipser.
Tony Snell is expected to miss at least a week after suffering a sprained left ankle in Monday's practice. Rookie Denzel Valentine, who sprained his left ankle in the Oct. 3 preseason opener, is increasing his activity, but hasn't yet returned to practice.
Canaan can impress:
Guard Isaiah Canaan continues to earn praise from coach Fred Hoiberg. When the Bulls signed Canaan as a free agent this summer, they were hoping to get a quality 3-point shooter, but the fourth-year pro has shown more so far in practice.
"I think he showed his versatility and what he can do in that game against Indiana (on Saturday)," Hoiberg said. "He played off the ball. He played with the ball in his hands.
"The thing I liked the most is he made simple plays. He took 1 shot (and) you could arguably say he was the best player on the floor for us. He's really into the ball. I thought our defense changed when he was out there."