Rose, Bulls finished preseason on a roll, despite injuries
Ready or not, the time has come for the Bulls to open the 2008-09 season.
They took Saturday off from practice in part because Larry Hughes, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Tyrus Thomas are all nursing a variety of injuries.
Two days of practice remain before the Milwaukee Bucks return for a real game at the United Center on Tuesday. The Bulls lack a starting lineup, playing rotation and aren't even sure which players will be available.
"Like I've said all along, it's been hard to evaluate the rotation and the rhythm we're going to have as a team because of the injuries," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Our guys are working hard, they're starting to understand things a little bit better. We just have to do it more consistently."
The Bulls did finish preseason with a three-game winning streak and this season's outlook brightened every time rookie point guard Derrick Rose took the floor. In just five minutes of action before getting injured Friday against the Bucks, Rose had 7 points and 2 assists.
"I think we feel good that we played better as the preseason went on," said guard Kirk Hinrich. "We're just trying to get on the same page as the coaching staff."
The right hip flexor strain suffered by Rose in Friday's preseason finale wasn't a big deal. He would have kept playing in a regular season game. Hinrich had a problem with cramps late in the contest.
Gordon (jammed left big toe) was hoping to play in all three games last week and didn't make it to any of them. The same outlook applies for Tuesday's opener - maybe, maybe not. Deng (sore back and toe), meanwhile, expressed confidence that he'll be ready.
"I'm just trying to rest it and start the season 100 percent," Deng said.
Del Negro experimented with different starting lineups throughout preseason and brought Hinrich off the bench in the past two games. With Hughes expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a dislocated shoulder, Thabo Sefolosha got his first start of preseason on Friday and played fairly well. The 6-foot-7 native of Switzerland had 18 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds in nearly 50 minutes of action.
"He guarded well, which was intriguing," Del Negro said of Sefolosha. "Derrick only played the first five minutes or so of the game, but I liked the flow we had. I liked the aggressiveness and that's the way we want to play."
Rose and Drew Gooden seem certain to be starters, along with Deng if he's healthy. Second-year center Aaron Gray started the past two games in place of Thomas and the Bulls jumped out to big first-quarter leads each time. Thomas has been bothered by a sprained right ankle and played less than 4 minutes on Friday.
Gray (5.5 points, 6.3 rebounds) posted better preseason numbers than Joakim Noah (4.2 points, 5.3 rebounds) despite playing fewer minutes per game. Having Gray in the lineup means Gooden doesn't have to play center, although sometimes Gooden can use quickness to his advantage against bigger opponents.