'Stone Cold' Lopez helps get Bucks ready for action
Former Bulls center Robin Lopez walked into the United Center wearing a different Seattle Mariners cap than the one he wore when he played in Chicago, which was a commemorative edition for Ken Griffey Jr's jersey retirement.
Another new tradition Lopez brought to Milwaukee is the pregame pro wrestling pantomime. While waiting in the tunnel to take the floor for pregame warmups, the Bucks often perform some fake wrestling moves on each other. Lopez typically is the guy who takes a beating. Check the Bucks' official Twitter feed for videos.
Before facing the Bulls on Monday, Lopez explained the origin story of this strange tradition.
"So Wesley (Matthews) and I played together in Portland and just one day, he came out with some wrestling moves, blindsided me. I guess beat me up," said Lopez, who named "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as his all-time favorite wrestler. "Occasionally, it became a pregame routine out in Portland. Now we met up back here, we rekindled it a little bit and it snowballed into something a little bigger."
The funniest part of the Bucks' wrestling routine is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who grew up in Athens, Greece, might be the most enthusiastic participant.
"Of course. Giannis is a really fun guy to be around," Lopez said. "I'm not too surprised he embraced it. He knows all the moves."
It must be working. Milwaukee had won 23 of its previous 25 games heading into Monday's action.
"I think part of the game is just to have fun while you're out there; playing loose, enjoying the game, while taking the challenge that it is," Lopez said. "I don't know if it's a huge part, but it's something."
Matthews was out with a thigh injury, so Lopez and Antetokounmpo duked it out Monday in the United Center hallway. This time, Lopez "won" the match, sending Giannis backward into a teammates' arms after surviving a karate kick to the chest.
Hutch set to practice:
Forward Chandler Hutchison is set to resume full-contact practice with the Windy City Bulls on Tuesday, according to coach Jim Boylen. Hutchison has been sidelined by a shoulder injury since the opening minutes of the Nov. 27 game at Golden State.
Between a toe injury last season, hamstring strain, shin splints and the shoulder issue, Hutchison has missed 58 of the Bulls' last 67 games.
"First of all, my heart breaks for him," Boylen said. "He's a great kid, he's a great worker. It's frustrating for him and his family. It's frustrating for us. We'll just keep working at it. I'm not going to get discouraged. He's a piece to what we're building like all of our guys and I'd love to him back."
Windy City will practice at the Advocate Center, so Boylen plans to observe Hutchison's progress.
Bull horns:
Wendell Carter Jr. grabbed the 200th offensive rebound of his career in Monday's first quarter. Carter reached the milestone in his 78th game, which is fourth-fastest in team history, but well behind Elton Brand's 41 games to reach 200. ... The Bulls started the night with an eight-game losing streak against Milwaukee, their second-longest active streak. They've dropped 11 straight to Toronto and also 7 in a row to Denver.