Hinrich gets back in scoring flow with 14 points
After scoring 14 points in Tuesday's win over New Jersey, Kirk Hinrich insisted that scoring zero the previous night against New Orleans wasn't at the forefront of his mind.
"I was just kind of left out of the flow," he said. "I didn't feel like it was a huge deal I went scoreless. I wasn't thinking of it like that."
Lower scoring has become a trend for Hinrich since Larry Hughes was added to the backcourt mix. Before Tuesday, Hinrich had scored in double figures just twice in the previous 11 games.
"There have just been games where I haven't played very many minutes, games when I've been in foul trouble, haven't gotten many shot attempts," he said. "I don't know how else to describe it."
Skiles knows Indiana: When rumors of ex-Bulls coach Scott Skiles being a candidate to coach at Indiana University were mentioned before Tuesday's game, Jim Boylan gave an enthusiastic endorsement.
"I could see Scott coaching anywhere," Boylan said. "Scott's a great coach. He would do a great job at your local high school or grade school. He'd be a great coach at Indiana. If they are smart enough to hire him, then I'm sure he'll win a national championship in one or two years."
Skiles has said in the past he considers himself an NBA coach. But if it did happen, would Boylan be ready to sign on as Skiles' top assistant?
"I don't know about that," Boylan joked. "If I could stay on campus, maybe."
Wright stuff for Hornets: New Orleans rookie Julian Wright has come on strong recently. The former Kansas forward scored 14 points and hit 6 of 8 shots against the Bulls on Monday. He's averaging 11.3 points in March.
Before last year's draft, Wright chose not to work out for the Bulls, even though he's a Chicago-area native from Homewood-Flossmoor High School.
Wright thought it would help him to play outside of his hometown, but mostly he was looking at Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni in the Bulls' small forward slot.
"I feel like I could be more appreciated, the things I can bring to a team, at another place," Wright said Monday. "It was nothing against the (Bulls) organization. I've made a lot of strides and I don't necessarily think I would have made those strides at another place."
Nocioni's presence felt: Andres Nocioni played a season-low five minutes at New Orleans, then got an early call on Tuesday against New Jersey, entering the game at the 6:52 mark of the first quarter.
A few minutes later, Nocioni tried to back down Vince Carter into the post. Carter yelled, "Watch the elbows" just before blocking Nocioni's shot. Before the quarter was over, Nocioni picked up a technical foul and knocked down a 3-pointer. He finished with 9 points in 10 minutes.
Bull horns: Chris Duhon sat on the bench in street clothes for Tuesday game. He skipped the trip to New Orleans due to an illness, but said he was feeling better. ... Nets guard Devin Harris left the game late in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle and did not return. ... Demetris Nichols scored his first basket for the Bulls, a 3-pointer with 14.7 seconds left.