Gardner's facial over Yi gets plenty of air time

Thomas Gardner began training camp last week as a longshot to make the Bulls' roster.

But he found the national spotlight in his very first preseason contest.

First of all, Gardner started for the Bulls at shooting guard because Ben Gordon (left ankle sprain) and Thabo Sefolosha (right hamstring strain) sat out with injuries.

Then he threw down an impressive fastbreak dunk in the third quarter of Tuesday's game in LaCrosse, Wis. Gardner's dunk was replayed on ESPN's SportsCenter about five times because he went right over the top of Milwaukee rookie Yi Jianlian.

"I got a lot of text messages on the bus, a lot of phone calls last night, a lot of e-mails," Gardner said. "It was kind of exciting. It was my first-ever NBA game. I got a chance to start and I was able to make SportsCenter as well. The sad part is we didn't win."

The 6-foot-5 Gardner left Missouri in 2006 after his junior year and spent last season in Belgium. He earned a training camp invite after performing well for the Bulls' summer-league squad. The Portland, Ore., native scored 7 points against the Bucks.

"I thought he played well," coach Scott Skiles said. "He's a good defender. He doesn't try to do too much. He made one of the most athletic plays I've seen since I've been the coach here, running on the wing, catching that ball and punching that thing. There are some things he can do out there."

Noah to stay vocal: Coach Scott Skiles said Joakim Noah was visibly upset when removed from Tuesday's preseason contest with 4:28 remaining. The Bucks ended up finishing the game with an 18-4 run.

Otherwise, Noah didn't show excessive emotion during his unofficial Bulls debut, but he promised to be as demonstrative as he was in college at Florida.

"I'm not going to change who I am because of the way people think about me," he said. "If you don't like me because of the way I am on the court, then you don't really know me. I'm a passionate guy and I want to win. I usually talk a lot, I'm vocal, I talk trash and I scream -- that kind of stuff."

Bulls waive Blair: The Bulls waived 33-year-old rookie Joseph Blair on Wednesday. The 6-foot-10 power forward played 11 minutes in the preseason opener, producing 1 point and 3 rebounds. The team's roster now stands at 17.

Bull horns: The entire Bulls team will appear at Northbrook Court today from 2-3 p.m., passing out pocket schedules and a limited number of preseason tickets near the Lord & Taylor lower-level entrance. … Joe Smith (sore right knee) returned to practice, while Ben Gordon (left ankle), Thabo Sefolosha (right hamstring) and Adrian Griffin (sore back) stayed out.