For Wallace, no practice makes perfect
A short practice on a gloomy Sunday provided a chance to apply some basic logic to the Bulls.
Ben Wallace sat out Friday's practice, then turned in a monster performance in the 111-95 victory over Charlotte. Wallace finished with 19 rebounds, 10 points, 5 steals and 4 blocks.
Does this mean the 33-year-old center should skip practice more often and stay fresh for the games?
"Maybe I should never practice again," Wallace said with a laugh. "Nah, I don't think so. I think it was just one of those things, my back was a little stiff, a little sore. Had a little time to sit out practice and get treatment on it. I don't think I'd be a good player if I never practiced."
A no-practice plan wouldn't be uncommon. Many of the league's veteran teams do very little between games, and it's not like Wallace needs time to pick up coach Scott Skiles' schemes.
"I hear a lot of stories around the league," Wallace said. "When I was in Detroit, we didn't do a whole lot of practicing. I think sometimes you just need practice to build on camaraderie. You sometimes need to get out there and add a little juice to practice, get to know your teammates."
Of course, the Bulls' makeup is not like the Suns or the Spurs. Wallace, Joe Smith and Adrian Griffin are the only players on the roster in their 30s, compared to 10 players 25 or younger. Wallace and Smith, who has had occasional knee problems, often are excused from practice.
"Every team is different," Skiles said. "I don't think you can mention Phoenix without directly tying it to Steve Nash. He is the system; nothing against any of those other guys. We depend on everybody.
"You've got to try and balance it and get things done you need to get done and when you're 4-10, we need practice. We monitor (Wallace's) practice all the time. He generally goes hard for a portion of practice, then he'll step out of things. We kind of leave it up to him for the most part."
Wallace also suggested he likes to stay in practices out of respect for his younger teammates.
"Sometimes your teammates bring the best out of you," he said. "I think they look for us to be out there to sort of show them the way, help them out a little bit. I don't think it would be fair to them if I took too much time off."
Shooters take sudden jump: The Bulls shot a season-high 54.3 percent from the field Saturday against the Bobcats. Their second best was 45.9 percent in a win over Detroit. The Bulls' accuracy fell below 40 percent in nine of their first 13 games. Of course, one game doesn't mean their shooting woes are over.
"We need to feel good about ourselves right now, but keep it in perspective and just try to build on it," Scott Skiles said.
Noah bounces back: Rookie Joakim Noah participated in Sunday's short practice after missing the second half of the win over Charlotte with a sprained left ankle.
Tonight's tipoff
Bulls vs. Dallas Mavericks at the United Center, 7:30 p.m.
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WMVP 1000-AM
Update: The Mavericks (11-6) should be in a bad mood after their 21-game winning streak against the Hornets was snapped Saturday in a 112-108 overtime loss. Last year Dallas visited the United Center having won 21 of its previous 22 but lost to the Bulls 96-85. The Mavericks are 3-5 on the road after going 31-10 last season.
Fast fact: Dirk Nowitzki's scoring average of 20.9 ppg is the lowest since his second NBA season in 1999-2000.
Next: Charlotte Bobcats Wednesday at Charlotte Bobcats Arena, 6 p.m.
-- Mike McGraw