Barrington's Richards opens NBA scouts' eyes

A local NCAA Tournament hero might have a future in the NBA.

Davidson point guard Jason Richards, from Barrington, caught the attention of pro scouts during the Wildcats' surprising run to the regional title game. No. 10 seed Davidson was finally eliminated by Kansas 59-57 when Richards' long 3-pointer missed the mark at the final buzzer Sunday.

The 6-foot-2 senior led the nation in assists this season at 8.0 per game. He averaged 13.2 points and 9.0 assists during four tournament games and more than held his own defensively.

Two NBA scouts contacted by the Daily Herald said they felt Richards is a better prospect than last year's national assist leader, Jared Jordan from Marist, who was drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Clippers. Jordan did not make the final roster.

If Richards is not drafted, the Bulls will likely invite him to play on their Orlando summer-league team. The Bulls have a tradition of inviting a few local players to join their summer-league squads whenever possible.

Richards can probably expect an invitation to the NBA's first predraft camp in Portsmouth, Va., next week. If he does well, he could be invited to the Orlando camp in June.

Thomas keeps growing: A day after watching second-year forward Tyrus Thomas score a team-high 24 points while playing against Boston's Kevin Garnett, Bulls coach Jim Boylan gave this assessment of Thomas' personal progress:

"Tyrus is more comfortable with his teammates," Boylan said. "He's actually kind of been very outgoing. He gets here early in the morning; he's one of the first guys to arrive. He tries to get his work done. He's always got a good disposition in the morning. He's still maturing, but he's definitely made some progress the last couple seasons.

"He needs to come out (against Cleveland) and play the way he did (Tuesday) night. As a young player, you don't have great nights every night. That's something you build on over the course of your career. But certainly you have to start stringing games together."

Respect the horns: Rookie center Joakim Noah shared strong feelings about the Bulls giving their best effort during the final eight games of the season, even though the playoffs are an unlikely possibility.

"We've just got to play these games as hard as we can and get as many wins as possible," he said. "I feel like we owe that to this organization. The Bulls jersey, it's probably the most known jersey in the world. It's probably the most famous sports logo in the world. As players, we have to respect that and play hard every time we wear that jersey."

Sore back sidelines Big Ben: The Bulls might not see former teammate Ben Wallace on the court tonight in Cleveland. Wallace missed three of the last four games with back spasms and wasn't expected to play Wednesday night when the Cavaliers visited Charlotte.

"Wallace may be listed as day to day for the rest of the season," Cavs coach Mike Brown said in the Lorain (Ohio) News-Herald. "If this guy can't play for us the rest of the year, so be it. We still have to get better and win games, because that's what we get paid to do."

Injury update: Andres Nocioni left Wednesday's practice early with flu-like symptoms. He was expected to accompany the team to Cleveland and might play tonight. … Jim Boylan said the abdominal strain that's kept forward Drew Gooden out of action for the past two games is improving, but Gooden is unlikely to face the Cavs tonight.

Tonight's tipoff

Bulls vs. Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena, 7 p.m.

TV: TNT

Radio: WMVP 1000-AM

Update: The Cavaliers have gone 11-9 since making the Feb. 21 trade with the Bulls, pending the result of Wednesday's game at Charlotte. LeBron James continues to lead the league in scoring at 30.4 ppg.

Injury update: Former Bulls center Ben Wallace has missed three of the last four games with back spasms and wasn't expected to play Wednesday in Charlotte. Sharpshooting guard Daniel Gibson returned recently after missing 18 games with an ankle injury.

Next: Washington Wizards at the United Center, 7:30 p.m. Saturday

-- Mike McGraw