Bulls hoping to help LaVine get caught up on defense
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg was still not feeling well on Monday, so assistant coach Jim Boylen helped with the news conference. Boylen filled in for Hoiberg during Sunday's 113-94 win over Washington.
With news that Zach LaVine would be shut down for the rest of the season with a sore knee, Boylen answered a few questions about LaVine's defense and whether it can improve next season.
"It all starts with stance and position and fundamentals - the basics," Boylen said. "When you've been out, you lose some of those basics. Just ball-you-man, it's vision, it's all the things you kind of start with in (training) camp. He missed camp and that's hard on a player."
Boylen confirmed one of LaVine's issues on defense is not staying locked in when he's guarding off the ball. And LaVine just turned 23, so he has plenty of time to improve.
"We tell our guys, we don't ever want you in emergency mode," Boylen said. "Emergency mode is when you lose sight of the ball or lose sight of your man and then you're trying to figure it out and you're behind the play. So our job is to get him used to not being behind the play."
Kilpatrick kills losing skid:
The addition of guard Sean Kilpatrick has been good for the Bulls or bad for the tank, depending on the perspective.
The 6-4 guard from Cincinnati has averaged 11 points in his first four games for the Bulls. He hasn't shot well (35 percent overall), but he does seem willing to make something happen in late-game situations. He was on the floor in the fourth quarter as the Bulls knocked off Orlando and Washington the past two games.
"It seems like he's been playing in our system all year," assistant Jim Boylen said. "We've put him on some of the better players we've played against and he's done a good job. He's got good feet, he's got good size.
"He's not scared."
Kilpatrick averaged 13.1 points for Brooklyn last year. He played for the Nets, Bucks and Clippers this season before joining the Bulls.
Lopez appreciates Denzel link:
Robin Lopez was asked what he thought about the video combining his post-ejection tirade in Miami last Thursday with a Denzel Washington rant in the movie "Training Day."
Naturally, he enjoyed it.
"I'm a lot more like Denzel than you would ever assume," Lopez said Monday. "That's an extremely flattering comparison. That's an academy award-winning performance, right?"
Yes, Washington won Best Actor for his role in the 2002 film. Lopez earned a $25,000 fine from the NBA for his performance.