Smith misses practice but might play tonight
Veteran power forward Joe Smith skipped practice again Thursday to rest a swollen right knee. By unofficial count, that's six of eight days that Smith has missed working out with his new Bulls teammates.
Coach Scott Skiles said he's not concerned because the team doctor isn't worried. Smith might even see some game action tonight when the Bulls host the Dallas Mavericks.
"We're trying a couple of things and hope we can get it under control," Skiles said.
Smith's absence from the lineup does forecast a likely scenario for the regular season. If the 32-year-old forward misses any time, the Bulls' big man rotation will be left to center Ben Wallace, two rookies (Joakim Noah, Aaron Gray) and the team's youngest player (Tyrus Thomas). Will the young guys be ready to handle the responsibility?
"Everybody's always on the lookout for quality big players in the league," Skiles said. "We like our big guys this year, but there is a chance one of our veteran guys could miss a few games.
"Andres Nocioni's always a guy, right now we don't even think of him too much as a big, because we're really focused on Tyrus and Noah. But he can always play one of those spots, too. So can Lu (Deng)."
Center in Gray area: Rookie center Aaron Gray got off to a good start in Tuesday's preseason opener against the Bucks, finishing with 10 points and 6 rebounds in 17 minutes.
"He's still figuring out what he can do," coach Scott Skiles said. "But he plays like a big man. He keeps the ball high. He got a couple NBA rebounds in traffic that he was able to pull down with some strength."
When it was suggested that the 7-foot Gray might be ready to help the Bulls' interior depth in the regular season, Skiles put the brakes on any optimism.
After rattling off some post options, Skiles added with a smile, "I didn't mention Aaron, did I? My fault."
Gordon back on floor: Ben Gordon participated in Thursday's practice and expects to play tonight against Dallas. Gordon missed the Bulls' preseason opener after spraining his left ankle Monday. Thabo Sefolosha, meanwhile, has not practiced since suffering a right hamstring strain and is doubtful for tonight's contest.