Gordon healing; Deng still hurting

Ben Gordon practiced Monday for the first time in two weeks, but the Bulls don't figure to have their starting lineup intact for tonight's preseason game at Dallas.

Luol Deng sat out again with a right wrist contusion and is not likely to play against the Mavericks.

"It feels a lot better already," Deng said. "I've just got some swelling in my hand. I have to wait for that to go down."

The Bulls get one more chance to put their starting five on the court together in a game setting. Their final preseason contest is Thursday against Milwaukee at the United Center.

Gordon, who has yet to play in the preseason because of a sprained left ankle, would like to have at least one true dress rehearsal.

"I think it's really important," he said. "We've had a couple guys out with injuries.

"It would be nice to have everybody out there healthy at the same time before we start the regular season (Oct. 31 at New Jersey)."

Gordon had an ice pack on his left ankle as he walked through the Berto Center on Monday, but he was able to participate in the full practice and hopes to play tonight.

"Initially, there was a little bit of discomfort," he said. "Of course I was going to think about it here and there, but once I got into the flow of things, it felt pretty good."

Roster reaches 15: The Bulls trimmed the roster to 15 players by releasing guard Andre Barrett and forward Jared Homan. Barrett spent all of last season with the team but was not expected to make the final roster this year.

That leaves one candidate remaining for the 15th roster spot, 6-foot-5 shooting guard Thomas Gardner, who started four preseason games in place of the injured Ben Gordon. Coach Scott Skiles said Gardner has a chance to make the final roster.

"He may not be battling a player right now, but he's battling whether we want to leave the spot open or not," Skiles said. "I don't need to make that decision today. (General manager) John (Paxson) and I will talk about it and make that decision when we need to make it."

Thabo starts strong: The Bulls' makeshift starting lineup played well in Saturday's 100-88 victory over Indiana. That included an impressive performance by shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha, who finished with 9 points, 6 assists, 4 steals and just 1 turnover.

It was Sefolosha's second preseason appearance after missing about 10 days with a hamstring strain.

"He's just got to guard against doing too much," coach Scott Skiles said. "A lot of creative players, that's something they had to battle. He's a good defender, and he's a very good rebounder.

"It's just a matter of offensively staying within himself, and then it's also a matter of the guys in front of him and how well they're playing. If they're having good games, there probably aren't a lot of minutes there for him."

The Bulls started Sefolosha, Andres Nocioni and Aaron Gray along with regulars Kirk Hinrich and Ben Wallace against the Pacers.