Trade would alleviate glut of guards
Bulls general manager John Paxson wants to make a trade, but he may have to wait until closer to the Feb. 19 deadline.
During a Thursday morning interview on WSCR 670-AM, Paxson mentioned the glut of guards, which will get worse when Kirk Hinrich returns from a thumb injury, and the resulting unhappiness over playing time.
"I would love to move a few pieces, more than anything to alleviate the logjam we have on our roster," Paxson said. "It's obvious, because some guys have spoken out, that some guys just aren't happy in their role and basically what they mean is they're not happy with the minutes they're getting.
"The only thing that bothers me when things like that creep in, it obviously sends a signal to me and certainly sends a signal to fans, that it's not necessarily totally about the team and trying to win. It's more about what I need as an individual player. That's always tough for coaches and management to accept."
That line seems to be a clear reference to guard Larry Hughes, who has suggested since last February when he first came to the Bulls that he expects to play 30-35 minutes per game.
"At some point with our roster - and that date's coming soon - we'll either have to clear some issues up through making a move," Paxson said. "Or we're just going to have to say, 'Look, these are the guys that are going to play,' and get to a tighter rotation and live with the consequences of that."
Deng says doubtful: After practicing for a second straight day, forward Luol Deng does not think he'll be ready to play tonight against Washington. Deng has missed six games since spraining his left ankle on Dec. 26 at Miami.
"Most likely I'm not going to be able to go," he said Thursday. "I practiced again today, didn't feel as good as yesterday. But I expected that. I'm pretty close. I'm just not sure exactly when."
Drew Gooden practiced and doesn't expect any setbacks from his ankle injury. Kirk Hinrich (thumb surgery) joined the non-contact portions of practice for the second day.
Beware the woeful Wizards: The last time the Bulls played the Wizards, they scored the most points they have all season in a 117-110 victory on Dec. 6. Lately, though, Washington has been slowing the tempo under new coach Ed Tapscott and have held nine of 10 opponents below 100 points.
This figures to be another dangerous game for the Bulls. They lost twice at home to the Wizards last season and on Dec. 6, watched a 17-point lead with 7:09 remaining dwindle to 4 before hanging on.