Noah deals with tough penalty
Joakim Noah was back at practice Monday in Orlando and ready to move on. But he obviously will never forget the events of last weekend, when his teammates held a players-only meeting to recommend he spend a second game on the inactive list.
"Honestly, I don't agree with it," Noah said. "At the same time, I'm a rookie and I have to deal with it. What am I going to do, pout in the corner and start crying? I'm in the NBA, man. I have a pretty good life."
Noah originally was benched for one game after a verbal altercation with assistant coach Ron Adams during Friday's shootaround in Philadelphia.
A day later, veterans Adrian Griffin and Ben Wallace called a team meeting, which resulted Noah sitting out Sunday's loss to Atlanta.
"I didn't know you could get suspended by players," Noah said. "They thought I was in the wrong. So I mean, I don't agree with it. At the same time I'm going to take it and I understand it. I realized I was out of line. I won't let it happen again."
Coach Jim Boylan praised Noah's effort during Monday's workout in downtown Orlando, Fla. This will be Noah's first NBA game in Florida, where he was a college hero.
"He came with a great attitude, had a lot of energy, played well, and I think we've just kind of moved on from it," Boylan said. "Hopefully he's learned a lesson about what it is to be a professional athlete, an NBA player, a member of the Chicago Bulls.
"I think he'll learn from it and it will be good for him."
Boylan not offended: Coach Jim Boylan explained why he didn't mind the players coming together and asking to overrule his original one-game punishment for Joakim Noah.
"Your team should be able to govern themselves, and when there's a tough disciplinary action that needs to be taken, it's not management and the coach who always have to be the so-called bad guy or heavy hands," Boylan said.
"When it comes from the players it certainly carries a lot more meaning because there's always the friction between the coach and the players, the stress and strain of a season."
Injury report: Kirk Hinrich skipped Monday's practice with back spasms, while Luol Deng rested his sore left Achilles' tendon. Both are expected to play tonight against Orlando.
Tonight's tipoff
Bulls vs. Orlando Magic at Amway Arena, 6 p.m.
TV: Channel 26
Radio: WMVP 1000-AM
Update: The Bulls are meeting Orlando (23-16) in the right place. The Magic is 16-8 on the road but just 7-8 at home. Since beating the Bulls 112-110 in overtime on Hedo Turkoglu's last-second jumper Dec. 31, Orlando has lost five of six games. The Magic just returned from four games out West that included just 1 win.
Player to watch: Dwight Howard is quickly becoming one of the NBA's most dominant centers. He's averaging 22.5 points, 15.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. In the previous game against the Bulls, he had 17 points, 22 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Next: Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena, 6 p.m. Wednesday
-- Mike McGraw