Bulls respond to Boylan

The Bulls played six games during his first nine days as head coach, so Jim Boylan was looking forward to finally getting a chance to practice on Monday.

"This always happens," Boylan said. "You try to prepare, you have great thoughts and you're going to cover this and that and you're going to get everything done. Then all of the sudden, you get here and (Andres Nocioni) is sick, (Luol Deng) can't go, Body (Ben Wallace) has got to rest.

"So your great plan becomes just a little patchwork. But the practice we had was good and we got a couple of things accomplished."

For the record, nobody has been declared out for tonight's game against the New York Knicks at the United Center. But it seems likely Deng will miss his second game with left Achilles tendinitis.

Deng had limited activity Monday. He shot baskets and ran on the treadmill, but did not participate in practice. After tonight, the Bulls do not play again until Friday in Philadelphia.

"We're going to be careful with it and see if we can get this thing resolved so it's not an injury that stays with him for a long time," Boylan said.

When Monday's practice was opened to the media, it appeared that the players were finished working and ready for a retreat to the locker room. But then they snapped back into action and spent about 20 minutes on shooting practice.

With that in mind, some players were asked what's different about the Bulls now that Boylan is in charge and gave a variety of answers. All agreed, though, that it's been a positive change.

"Everyone's kind of happier out there," Deng said. "He's really done a good job of just bringing us together, understanding that if we're going to win, we need all of us."

"I think guys are real enthusiastic for some reason," added rookie Joakim Noah. "I don't know why, but that's just the way it is."

As far as what's different about the actual practices, Noah suggested the Bulls are spending more time reviewing game video and working on individual skills.

"We watch a lot more film on the things we could have done better," he said. "We didn't do that a lot before. Instead of just running up and down the whole time (in practice), there's more emphasis on exactly what we're doing."

Deng felt the practices have been more pleasant because Boylan is asking the Bulls to play at a faster tempo.

"We run a lot more," he said. "When we practice, everyone tends to get shots up and it kind of makes the game fun for everybody."

Chris Duhon, on the other hand, mentioned the length of the workouts as a significant difference between Boylan and former coach Scott Skiles.

"Practice is not as long as it used to be," Duhon said. "We pretty much get in, we get our work done and we get out. Things are, I wouldn't say smoother, but guys are more relaxed knowing that we're not going to be grinding it out for 2½-3 hours."

Today's tipoff

Bulls vs. New York Knicks at the United Center, 7:30 p.m.

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: WMVP 1000-AM

Update: The good news is the Knicks (8-24) are back in town, riding a seven-game losing streak and without a road win since Dec. 5. Keep in mind, though, that when the Bulls coasted to a 100-83 win in New York on Dec. 30, starting guards Jamal Crawford and Stephon Marbury did not play. Both are back in the lineup and the Knicks took San Antonio to the wire last Friday before losing 97-93.

Fast fact: The Knicks have lost seven straight at the United Center, including a 101-96 decision on Dec. 14.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers on Friday at the Wachovia Center, 6 p.m.

-- Mike McGraw