Bulls' rookie James Johnson gets in the game
Bulls rookie James Johnson revealed an interesting fact about himself before Saturday night's game against Charlotte.
The first NBA game Johnson ever attended was this year's preseason opener at Indiana.
He has been within range of NBA arenas. Johnson grew up in Cheyenne, Wyo., which isn't too far from Denver. He attended college at Wake Forest, about an hour drive from Charlotte. It just never worked out to go to a game.
"I was going to go to the Nuggets and the Lakers and that was the same day Columbine High School happened," Johnson said. "So they shut down the game and everything. Never got to go."
Actually, the Nuggets postponed a game against Portland on April 21, 1999, the day after the horrific shootings at Columbine.
Anyway, Johnson had played in only one of the first five Bulls games, but Tyrus Thomas' broken left arm clearly opens up a spot in the rotation.
The 6-foot-9 forward got a chance Saturday, but he seemed a little lost during a five-minute run in the first half. He collected 1 foul, 1 turnover and 1 missed shot, while the Bulls were outscored by 7 points when Johnson was on the court.
Thomas' arm repaired: Tyrus Thomas had surgery Saturday to repair a broken radius in his left forearm.
A metal plate was used to repair the fracture, which happened roughly halfway between his wrist and elbow.
Since Thomas is right-handed, he should be able to resume basketball workouts in a few days. If all goes well, he could be back on the court ready to play by the second week in December.
All indications are that this was a freak accident. During a weightlifting session Friday at the Berto Center, Thomas was doing a pull-up and his arm somehow snapped. Surgery was needed because the bone was displaced.
Chandler changes jerseys: The Bulls got their first look at Tyson Chandler since he was traded from New Orleans to Charlotte.
The ex-Bulls center produced 13 points and 7 rebounds Saturday and is thrilled to be playing for Bobcats coach Larry Brown.
"I love it. He's a great teacher," Chandler said. "I feel like I'm going to be a better basketball player for being here. Every day we spend like 30-45 minutes going over things. He's trying to make me become a complete basketball player, which I'm excited about."
Bull horns: Coach Vinny Del Negro said the Bulls have discussed adding a player now that Tyrus Thomas is expected to be out a month. - After recording just 7 turnovers Thursday at Cleveland, the Bulls' total soared to 21 against Charlotte. - Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah will greet fans at the Deerfield Dunkin' Donuts on Monday at 4 p.m.