Bulls have plenty to ponder on road trip

With just one game in a span of six days, this is a good chance to ask some of those nagging questions about the Bulls.

For instance, does it bother Kirk Hinrich that his coach constantly mispronounces his name?

As most Bulls fans surely noticed long ago, Vinny Del Negro usually refers to his veteran guard as "Kurt" instead of "Kirk." Just a quirk in Del Negro's Western Massachusetts accent, most likely. Hinrich shrugged off the ongoing problem.

"One of my college coaches did the same thing for four years," Hinrich said.

He wasn't referring to Roy Williams, but one of his assistant coaches at Kansas.

Anyway, the Bulls stayed in Portland for two days following Monday's ugly 122-98 loss to the Trail Blazers. They practiced Wednesday at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., before flying to Salt Lake City for a rare Thanksgiving night game against the Jazz. After that, the Bulls get three days off back at home before finishing the circus road trip in Milwaukee on Monday.

With 10 nights on the road, this is the longest the Bulls have stayed out during the circus trip since 1995, when they played seven games in 12 days.

The Bulls have played once before on Thanksgiving, way back on Nov. 23, 1967 when they beat the New York Knicks in Milwaukee 106-96. That was the season before the Bucks joined the league.

Utah coach Jerry Sloan played for the Bulls then and summed up the Thanksgiving game in his usual blunt style.

"If you like to play basketball, you can always eat afterwards," he said in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Or before. This game doesn't tip off until 9:30 p.m. Central time.

Road trip entertainment: Derrick Rose often talks about his love of movies and generally spends his free time on the road watching them in his room. Does he ever feel up to visiting a theater?

It depends on the city. In Cleveland, for example, there's a movie plex in the same building as the hotel most visiting NBA teams use.

"When we were in Cleveland, me, J.J. (teammate James Johnson) and my best friend tried to go to a movie, but we were too late," Rose said.

He does get out to the theater at home, but sometimes Rose's growing celebrity can be a deterrent.

"In Northbrook, people really don't bother me out there," he said. "If I go downtown, I really can't enjoy myself down there like that."

For the record, Rose is not caught up in "New Moon" mania, the vampire sequel that opened to huge numbers last weekend.

"No, that's a younger thing," he said. "I don't really get into it like that. But if I hear it got good reviews and people are saying it's good, I'll go see it."

Trouble at home: Utah is just 4-3 at home this season, including a 104-94 loss to Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

Hampered by injuries last season, the Jazz has its top seven players available, while backup guards Kyle Korver (knee) and Ronnie Price (toe) are out.

Utah (7-7) is starting undrafted rookie Wesley Matthews from Marquette at the two guard, Ronnie Brewer at small forward and bringing Andrei Kirilenko off the bench. Point guard Deron Williams (19.0 points, 9.8 assists) and power forward Carlos Boozer (18.9 points, 10.7 rebounds) are both playing well.

"We've just got to get that fire back, just get that confidence back that we can beat anybody," Williams said in the Salt Lake Tribune. "We used to think when people come in here it's an automatic loss and we've got to get that back. Start having fun, too."

Bull horns: The Bulls were saddened by the passing of Louis Duman, a longtime member of team's the board of directors. - Tyrus Thomas was one of three NBA players to win a Jefferson Award for outstanding public service, joining Dwight Howard and Dirk Nowitzki. - Bulls center Aaron Gray practiced Wednesday and could make his season debut against the Jazz. - During tonight's TNT broadcast, the studio hosts will interview U.S. troops live from Afghanistan.

Bulls vs. Utah Jazz

Time: 9:30 p.m.

TV: Channel 9, TNT

Radio: WMVP 1000-AM

Update: The Bulls have had a run of good luck against the Jazz. Not only have they won three straight in the series, they've tossed in a pair of buzzer-beaters. Larry Hughes knocked down a 21-footer at the horn to pull out a 101-100 victory last November in Salt Lake City. James Johnson also drilled a game-winning jumper at the buzzer against the Jazz, but that was in the preseason game in London, so it doesn't really count. Utah (7-7) has most of its regulars healthy, but lost at home to Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

Next: Monday vs. Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center, 7 p.m.