Uphill battle for Bulls' Khryapa
After Russia upset Spain to win the European championship last month, Russian leading scorer Andrei Kirilenko took the opportunity to demand a trade from the Utah Jazz.
Bulls forward Viktor Khryapa was another key player in Russia's surprising victory, averaging 11.2 points and 7.8 rebounds during the tournament. But Khryapa didn't send any messages to the Bulls.
Khryapa probably has more reason to complain about his lot in the NBA than Kirilenko, who has a starting job and a maximum contract in Utah. Khryapa spent most of last season buried on the bench and will be seeking a new contract next summer.
"It's just a different type of situation," Khryapa said. "I had difficulty because I was in my first year here and had guys in the same spot. A.K., he's been in Utah a long time. He's played great. He's an all-star player. So it's kind of different to compare."
It's also difficult to see how anything will change this season for Khryapa. He's still playing behind Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni at forward. Even when Nocioni missed 29 games with a foot injury late last season, Khryapa's playing time was sparse.
When the Bulls acquired Khryapa in a draft-night trade with Portland in 2006, they needed depth at forward in case Deng or Nocioni left in a trade for Kevin Garnett or Pau Gasol. But those deals did not happen and probably never will.
Khryapa knows he faces another tough battle for playing time but shrugged off his dilemma.
"It's always tough on NBA teams," he said. "I will do the same things I did before: Work hard every day, every practice and we'll see how it goes."
No matter how things go with the Bulls, Khryapa is looking forward to next summer now that his Russian squad has earned a spot in the Beijing Olympics.
"I'm pretty excited," said Khryapa, who grew up in the Ukraine. "I was happy for my country, because we hadn't made it in a long time. Now we did it and everybody was happy. That's why we're playing ball, to make the whole country happy."
Smith ready for action: Joe Smith expects to make his Bulls debut in tonight's preseason contest against Washington at the United Center. The veteran power forward missed the previous two games with a swollen right knee.
Shooting guard Ben Gordon, meanwhile, figures to sit out a few more days with a sprained left ankle.
"One of the tendons was still a little inflamed," he said. "I'm just going to listen to my body. How it feels will dictate when I come back."
Thabo getting close: Thabo Sefolosha has been sidelined for eight days with a right hamstring strain. He said Monday he's feeling good and should be ready to practice by the end of this week.
Sefolosha thinks the break might be beneficial, since he spent much of August and September trying to carry the Swiss national team into Division A of European championship qualifying. That quest ended with a decisive playoff loss to Luol Deng's Great Britain squad.
"Maybe it was a little fatigue going on after the two-a-days and all that," Sefolosha said. "My body might have run down maybe. Now I've had one week of just resting, so we'll see now."