Del Negro warns Bulls to share ball ... or else
For three months, Vinny Del Negro tried his best to be a player-friendly coach. But staying positive has become much more difficult following results like Saturday's 109-98 overtime loss to Oklahoma City, the NBA's worst team.
Even if the Bulls are given a pass for playing short-handed in the second of back-to-back games, there is no excuse for getting outrebounded 59-37 or botching three 2-on-1 fastbreaks because the player with the ball (Larry Hughes twice, Ben Gordon once) refused to pass to an open teammate.
During his postgame news conference, Del Negro promised to address the fastbreaks with the team and he visited the topic following Sunday's practice at the Berto Center.
"If they can't make good basketball decisions, then I'll have to make good coaching decisions and get us to share the ball a little more," Del Negro warned.
Gordon didn't have much to say when asked about the fastbreak failures. It may have looked even worse to fans because all three times, rookie Derrick Rose was the player who should have been given the ball.
"Just a bad play," Gordon said. "Didn't make the right play at the right time."
As bad as the Oklahoma City loss may have been, the theme at Sunday's practice was to look forward. All the Bulls can do now is try to muster a better effort tonight against Portland, a team that waxed the Bulls by 42 points on Nov. 19 in Oregon.
"This is like a redemption game," center Drew Gooden said. "Forget Oklahoma, that's over with. This team Portland really handed it to us at their place. Now it's our time to play them here."
It may be no coincidence that this stretch of poor play by the Bulls began while all three team captains (Gooden, Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich) were sidelined by injuries. But even without those players, most of the veteran Bulls tend to be quiet and reserved, not necessarily the type to fire up teammates with a locker room speech.
"I don't think that's one of the team's strengths right now," Del Negro said. "I think our younger guys will develop into that, Derrick especially. It's tough when you have all your captains out. But still, when you're a captain, whether you're in street clothes or not, you're still a captain and you have a responsibility and a respect from the players
"I think as guys take more ownership in the team and understand exactly what leadership and work ethic are all about, (other) guys will follow suit."
Not time for meeting: There were plenty of reasons for the Bulls to be angry following a home loss to the NBA's worst team. Drew Gooden described how the repair work played out at Sunday's practice.
"We had a film session where we watched the last six minutes of the game and saw what we did wrong," he said. "I think we're going to build from this. It was nothing where we were nitpicking at every little thing and guys getting frustrated. I think the optimism around this squad was good."
Asked if he's a believer in calling players-only meetings, Gooden answered yes, but didn't think the Bulls are at that point yet.
"It's no time right now to push the panic button," he said. "Guys know what they need to do. If there's a time when a meeting needs to be called, it will be called."
Deng, Hinrich practice: The Bulls are still hoping forward Luol Deng can play tonight against Portland after missing eight games with a sprained left ankle.
Guard Kirk Hinrich participated in full-contact practice for the first time since having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb on Nov. 13. It's possible Hinrich could suit up later this week, but more likely the Bulls will be conservative and wait until next week.
"It was great to have him in practice," Del Negro said. "He definitely brings up the intensity and the energy because he's such a competitor."
Drew Gooden skipped Sunday's workout to rest a sore ankle, while Thabo Sefolosha (stomach virus) watched from the sideline. Sefolosha missed the Oklahoma City game.