Del Negro knows what to expect from Nash, Suns

When the Phoenix Suns visit the United Center tonight, it will be the first duel between Bulls rookie point guard Derrick Rose and the old master, two-time MVP Steve Nash.

Asked if a coach looks forward to watching such a matchup the way fans might, Vinny Del Negro issued a quick one-word answer.

"No, I'm not," he said. "It's a great matchup, but Steve has been through the wars. Derrick's trying to find his way a little bit. The veteran teams are well-oiled machines."

What Del Negro means is expect to see dozens of crisply executed screen-and-roll plays with Nash and power forward Amare Stoudemire, who lit up Indiana for 49 points Wednesday.

Suns may force changes: Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro admitted he was contemplating lineup changes for tonight's game against Phoenix. The Suns are very big inside, with Shaquille O'Neal, and small at guard.

So the Bulls could consider several changes, from using Aaron Gray against Shaq to starting Ben Gordon at guard to jolt the first-quarter offense.

"We'll look at it," Del Negro said. "It wouldn't be because anyone's playing bad; it would be because I feel there's a better advantage somewhere."

Three-pointed attack: The Bulls have used a three-guard lineup frequently, with Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon taking turns handling the ball. The decision on which player takes the point comes from the bench.

"I call it," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "At times, we feel like we have an advantage with Ben in the screen and roll, like when we got back in the game in Orlando. Obviously, we want Derrick to have the ball in the open court as much as we can, to kick to the shooters."

Bull horns: Larry Hughes, out with a dislocated shoulder since Oct. 22, participated in the noncontact portions of Thursday's practice and announced a goal of playing by the end of next week. - Milwaukee added former Bulls forward Adrian Griffin to its coaching staff. - The fiancee of Suns guard Matt Barnes gave birth to twin boys Thursday.