Salmons has seen his game grow
The Bulls traded away Drew Gooden and his creative facial hair, but they might have found a worthy replacement.
As he sat at Larry Hughes' old locker at the United Center, John Salmons sported a beard that hung below his chin.
The 6-foot-6 Salmons figures to play the biggest role among the five Bulls newcomers. During his three seasons with the Kings, Salmons' scoring average grew from 8.5 points to 18.3.
"Playing time has got a lot to do with it," he said. "Last year, we had a lot of injuries and I started a lot of games. They put the ball in my hands and let me just play. This year, for a long stretch, K-Mart (Kevin Martin) wasn't playing. The offense was running though me a lot. I just had the opportunity."
Salmons, 29, is a Philadelphia native who played in college at Miami. He began his NBA career with the 76ers.
Meanwhile, the perpetual smirk on Brad Miller's face seemed a little more pronounced than usual as he took his old spot in the Bulls locker room for the first time since Feb. 19, 2002, when he was traded with Ron Artest to Indiana.
N.Y. arrivals on hold: The Bulls hoped Tim Thomas would arrive in town this morning, pass a physical and get to the Berto Center in time for practice. But the wintry forecast could derail those plans, as well as delay the Bulls' scheduled flight to Indianapolis for Sunday's matinee.
Thomas, center Jerome James and guard Anthony Roberson were acquired from New York on Thursday for Larry Hughes.
Roberson sat on the bench in street clothes Friday while the Bulls played the Nuggets. James, a 7-foot-1 center, has a torn Achilles' tendon and is not expected in town anytime soon.
"He's still got a cast on his foot," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "He's handling that stuff in New York right now, and then we'll worry about that as the days go on."
Remembering Thabo: After Friday's win, Joakim Noah paid tribute to former teammate Thabo Sefolosha, who was traded to Oklahoma City on Thursday for a draft pick.
"I spent some time with him before he left," Noah said. "He's really sad to leave Chicago. He had some great times here.
"He was my best friend, not just because he spoke French, but he had a really good heart. He was someone I'd trust with everything. Oklahoma's a good opportunity for him in terms of playing. I really hope this is a good situation for him."
Bull horns: The Bulls have recorded 10 or more steals in three straight games. ... Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin sat out the second half due to back spasms. ... The Bulls are 13-12 against Western Conference teams.