Del Negro says he may tinker with Bulls' rotation
With the Bulls struggling to break the 90-point barrier on most nights, coach Vinny Del Negro suggested Friday there may be changes to the playing rotation.
"I need to do a better job spacing the minutes out for some guys, especially with our short rotation," he said following practice at the Berto Center. "That's something we'll work on; something I've thought a lot about. We also want to get some guys on track."
Rookie Taj Gibson was forced into the starting lineup when Tyrus Thomas broke his left arm, and the rest of Bulls' bench hasn't contributed much offense.
Both guard Kirk Hinrich and center Brad Miller have shot poorly and been turnover-prone. Guard Jannero Pargo, meanwhile, has barely played. He's averaging just 3.8 points in 10.6 minutes through eight games.
"For whatever reason, I'm not getting an opportunity and I'm fine with that," Pargo said. "I'm just trying to get as healthy as I can and just try to continue to work in practice and show that I'm ready, so coach can get the trust and the faith in me to put me out there."
Injuries have played a part in Pargo's limited role. He had surgery to repair a sports hernia in June, then developed a sore back and hip during preseason, which may have been a result of compensating for the hernia.
But the Bulls signed Pargo to provide a scoring spark off the bench. His specialty has always been to come into the game firing, and when his shot is falling he can rally a team all by himself.
He did that once this season, hitting 4 of 5 shots for 10 points when the Bulls came back from 18 points down to beat Milwaukee on Nov. 3. He also scored 13 mostly garbage-time points at Boston on Oct. 30. Otherwise, he hasn't seen much action.
Asked about the state of his health, Pargo said, "Before games I feel great, but sometimes during games it kind of flares up a little bit. Not too far from 100 percent."
Overall, the Bulls didn't show much concern about their poor shooting. As of Friday morning, they ranked last in the league in 3-point shooting (25.3 percent) and 28th in points scored (88.6).
"It is early in the season," Del Negro said. "We have too good a players and too good a shooters not to be able to knock some of these shots down and we will."
The Bulls (4-4) host Philadelphia on Saturday at the United Center in their final home appearance until Dec. 2. Next week, they'll depart on the annual circus road trip, which this year includes games against the Lakers, Denver, Portland and Utah.
"Tyrus just got hurt, John (Salmons) just had a baby," center Joakim Noah said. "A lot of things have been going on in our locker room. We're just trying to stick together and I think we'll be just fine.
"(The poor shooting) is no big deal. I know our shooters work hard on their jumpers every day. You can't control that. Guys are not trying to miss shots, it just happens. Just because shots aren't falling, guys aren't taking a step back on defense. That's always a positive."
Bulls vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Where: United Center
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WMVP 1000-AM
Update: Point guard Andre Miller left for Portland, but the Sixers still have a nice young nucleus. Andre Iguodala is averaging 18.6 points, new point guard Lou Williams is at 14.4 ppg, and last year's No. 1 pick Marreese Speights contributes a surprising 15.0 points and 7.1 rebounds. The Sixers are 4-4, but three of the wins were against New Jersey and New York.
Next: Tuesday vs. Sacramento Kings at Arco Arena, 9 p.m.
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