Thibodeau thinks Deng might be ready for season opener
The Bulls won’t formally introduce guard Marquis Teague until Monday, so in the meantime, team personnel made the rounds on radio.
During a visit to WMVP’s “Waddle and Silvy Show,” coach Tom Thibodeau said Friday he doesn’t think forward Luol Deng will even need surgery on his left wrist after the Olympics.
“He’s feeling a lot better,” Thibodeau said. “His wrist is a lot stronger. I think it’s going to work out well. The way it is right now, he’s going to play in those (Olympic) games. He’s going to come back and continue his training.”
This isn’t a new sentiment. Chris Spice, performance director for the British Olympic team, suggested recently that with two months of rest following the NBA season, Deng’s left wrist would finally get a chance to heal.
Deng tore a ligament in his left wrist on Jan. 21, took two weeks off and played the rest of the season. During the Bulls season, he ran into trouble most every time he tried to dribble with his left hand. So it will be interesting to see how he fares in the Olympics.
Thibodeau also expressed no concern that he has yet to agree to a contract extension. He is signed through next season.
“It’s not a big deal. We just haven’t gotten around to anything yet. I’m fine,” Thibodeau said. “At some point this summer, we’ll resume the talks. Right now, there’s a lot going on with the team with the draft and with free agency coming up. At some point we’ll sit down.”
Defensive effort required:One of the knocks on Marquis Teague, chosen by the Bulls with the 29th pick in Thursday#146;s draft, is his defense. That#146;s obviously a key part of coach Tom Thibodeau#146;s style.General manager Gar Forman, sitting next to Thibodeau, addressed that issue after the draft.#147;We were both on the phone with coach Cal (Kentucky#146;s John Calipari) and that was one thing he stressed, that he made a lot of improvements defensively and got to the point where he was pressuring the ball and not allowing penetration,#148; Forman said. #147;He#146;s got extremely long arms (6-7 wingspan on a 6-2 frame). He#146;s got the speed and quickness. So he#146;s certainly got the skills to be a very good defender.#148;At one point during the NBA lockout, players gathered to work out in Lexington, Ky, and Teague reportedly got a chance to match up against Oklahoma City all-star Russell Westbrook in pickup games.Magic raid Bulls front office:Fenton High School grad Matt Lloyd is moving up in the NBA world. The Bulls director of college scouting was hired Friday by the Orlando Magic as assistant general manager.Lloyd was with the Bulls for 13 years, starting as a media relations assistant before moving into basketball operations when John Paxson became general manager.Lloyd will be working under new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan, the league#146;s youngest GM at 30. Hennigan spent the past four years with Oklahoma City.