Deng looks sharp hitting season high
MILWAUKEE - It almost felt like an old friend returned to the Bulls on Wednesday night.
Luol Deng never went anywhere, but he looked more like his usual self at Milwaukee. The fifth-year forward scored 10 of the Bulls' first 16 points and finished with 21 points, equaling a season high set back on Oct. 28.
One night earlier, Deng sat out the final 9:47 of an overtime loss to Philadelphia in favor of Andres Nocioni. Then before Wednesday's contest, Vinny Del Negro was unusually blunt when assessing Deng's status.
"I think he can get better defensively, get a little bit more active," Del Negro said. "When he gets some steals and he's in passing lanes and he's using his length and we're getting out and running, I think that's a benefit to him. When he's slashing and cutting, no question he's very good at that. I have to do a better job and Luol does too."
Deng didn't disagree with his coach's assessment, but thought hitting shots was the biggest reason he stayed on the court. He started the night shooting 39.4 percent from the field this season, then hit 9 of 14 attempts against the Bucks.
"My shot felt great," Deng said after the game. "I think I'm still making the adjustment of finding ways to be effective in this offense. I know it's taking too long and I've got to figure it out. I just think I've got to be aggressive and figure it out."
Gooden loses touch: Just when the Bulls were celebrating a hot streak by power forward Drew Gooden, his shooting touch disappeared. By going 1 for 11 from the field at Milwaukee, Gooden has missed 16 of 17 shots the past two games.
In his previous five outings, Gooden averaged 19.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and shot 53 percent from the field.
Fallen defender club: Bulls center Joakim Noah can relate to Philadelphia guard Andre Miller falling down trying to guard Derrick Rose on Sunday.
The same thing happened to Noah the first time he played basketball in New York City after moving from Paris. The way Noah described it, he was about 14 at the time and when it happened, onlookers at the Police Athletic League gym exploded in celebration of the crossover move.
"I'm OK. I'm over it now," Noah said. "It just happens, you know. What can you say? He (Miller) got the last laugh (Tuesday). It's definitely going to be in the highlights for a long time. I'm sure it wasn't funny when it happened, but he'll think it's funny in a couple months."
Skiles scouts Rose: Before Wednesday's game, Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles talked about the difficulties posed by trying to defend Bulls guard Derrick Rose.
"For a guy that supposedly was going to struggle to make shots, he's made an awful lot of shots already, so that's out the window," Skiles said. "I think everybody knew he was going to be able to go to the hole, finish and all the other things. He's played with a good amount of composure, especially for a rookie, and he's getting better all the time. He's a real tough cover already."
Indiana stars align: Bucks coach Scott Skiles, a native of Plymouth, Ind., was chosen for the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. He'll be inducted March 25 along with Indiana great Steve Alford and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who grew up in Merrillville.
When Bulls assistant Del Harris, already a member of the Indiana basketball hall, congratulated Skiles on the honor before the game, Skiles shot back, "What took them so long?"
Bull horns: Former Bulls forward Adrian Griffin became an assistant coach for Scott Skiles in Milwaukee after being released from the roster early this season. ... While the Bulls played the second of back-to-back contests, the Bucks had been off since Saturday.