Bulls stung by slow start

MILWAUKEE -- When the Bulls started 0-9 in Scott Skiles' first full season as head coach, no one was too surprised. Expectations were low following six years of futile rebuilding.

Now that the Bulls have been to the playoffs three years in a row, it's reasonable to think the slow starts should end, but they haven't.

The Bulls fell to 0-3 after losing at Milwaukee. Last year they started 3-9.

So it's natural to wonder if the Bulls are doing something wrong in training camp that would explain the sluggish starts.

"Of course we (ask that question). All the time," Skiles said before Saturday's contest. "I'd be very, very concerned if people who came to our training camp, for instance, didn't think we ran a quality camp or didn't think our guys were getting ready, didn't think they were working hard. They do.

"We feel like they try to get ready for the season and we're trying to help them get ready. But also if you look around, some teams play in cycles. They play similar every season. I hope that's not what's occurring."

Yi of little faith: Bucks rookie Yi Jianlian didn't look good at all during two preseason games against the Bulls. But when it counted Saturday night, the 7-footer from China burned the Bulls with 16 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.

"He didn't surprise us," Ben Gordon said. "We knew he was a really good shooter for a big. I thought we were a little bit late on some of our helping defenses and he knocked shots down. We've got to make second and third efforts sometimes."

Most of Yi's long jumpers came after his defender left to give help on someone else. The Bulls scouted Yi thoroughly but never got a chance to take him in the draft.

"We think he's a great prospect," Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. "The players, I don't know what they think. But we tried to impress upon them that the guy's a great prospect.

"He's got a great stroke. He's got body control, runs well, can handle the ball. There's not a whole lot there not to like."

Bulls in deep freeze: Coach Scott Skiles hoped all the preseason talk about getting off to a good start didn't end up causing the Bulls to press and play uptight this week.

"If that tiny bit of pressure is causing you to freeze up, then we've probably got big, big issues," he said.

"If you want to be a legit, contending-type team, there's no game that's too big, there's no situation that's too big, there's no pressure anybody can put on you that can make you do anything but go out and play the game the way you should play the game."