Bulls decide to suspend Thomas for a game
Tyrus Thomas is frustrated by his limited playing time, while the Bulls grew tired of his behavior and attitude.
The Bulls have all the authority in such a battle and suspended Thomas for Saturday's game against the Heat for what was called, "conduct detrimental to the team," in a news release.
There were suggestions that this was not the result of one major blowup or altercation, but a pattern in recent days of Thomas being disrespectful to coaches and not following game plans, which came to a head following Friday's loss in Atlanta.
"No one player is bigger than the team," coach Vinny Del Negro said before Saturday's game. "There's a responsibility to do things right. I think by handling the situation the right way, which I think we are - I know we are - (it shows) it's not one person, it's a group.
"You have to be committed to what your role is on the team. You have to be committed to your teammates, your coaches, your organization. That goes for everybody. Guys know how things run around here and that's how it's going to be."
There were a couple of circumstances this week that might have increased Thomas' frustration. First, he produced 12 points and 6 rebounds at Philadelphia on Wednesday but played just 15 minutes.
On Friday in Atlanta, Joakim Noah sat out with a foot injury and Thomas was used for 16 minutes. He wasn't very productive against the Hawks, with 4 points and 4 rebounds.
Thomas played 20 minutes or less in five straight games leading up to the suspension.
"Minutes are up to players," Del Negro said. "I'm going to play the guys that give us the best chance to win, that execute the game plan, that are going to play hard all the time and get after it defensively and rebound. There's accountability in things, but it doesn't go for Tyrus, it goes for all the players."
When he first came back from a broken left arm on Dec. 26, Thomas gave the Bulls an impressive boost. He strung together three games where he averaged 16 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2 blocks and shot just under 50 percent from the field.
Thomas doesn't seem to have much of a future with the Bulls, though a league source suggested not many teams are interested in trading for the fourth-year forward right now. He'll be a restricted free agent this summer, so the Bulls may end up just renouncing his rights and letting him sign wherever he wants.
Noah shifts blood: Joakim Noah had a procedure done Friday morning to help with the plantar fasciitis in his left foot. He hobbled around the United Center on Saturday wearing a walking boot.
"What they did was take some blood and just put it into your foot," Noah said. "Apparently, it's supposed to make the healing a little bit faster. Right now, all I've got to do is just keep it in this boot. It just feels really numb right now. They said it's going to start hurting a little more tomorrow."
Bull horns: Tom Crean brought his Indiana squad to Saturday's game. Crean coached Dwyane Wade at Marquette and his Hoosiers play at Northwestern on Sunday. ... Newcomer Chris Richard played 20 minutes on Saturday and grabbed 7 rebounds.