Duhon joins growing parade of Bulls in doghouse

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Bulls can't even make it through a week these days without doling out some internal discipline.

The latest player to be docked playing time was backup guard Chris Duhon, who stayed on the bench Sunday night against Detroit after missing the morning shootaround.

Duhon chartered a private jet to attend Saturday's Duke-North Carolina game in Durham, N.C., sitting next to former Blue Devils teammate and ex-Bull Jay Williams.

Duhon said he was back in Michigan by Sunday morning, but he blamed his shootaround absence on not getting his wake-up call.

"I really don't play anyway, so it won't have much of an effect on me," Duhon said before the game.

Actually, Duhon would definitely have played Sunday because both Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon picked up 2 fouls in the first six minutes of the first quarter.

Coach Jim Boylan turned to Shannon Brown instead, and the second-year guard from Maywood didn't do badly in his first meaningful playing time with the Bulls. Brown had 4 points and a steal in 7½ minutes of action in the first half.

Tyrus Thomas, meanwhile, returned Sunday from a two-game suspension for missing a practice. Thomas had an uneventful performance, playing less than four minutes in the first half and getting no action after halftime.

Thabo getting closer: Bulls guard Thabo Sefolosha considered returning to active duty Sunday but ended up missing his sixth game with a sore groin.

"We're trying to be a little bit conservative with it, because we don't want him to reinjure it again and be out longer." Jim Boylan said. "We'd like to get him maybe one practice so he can move around a little bit and see how he reacts the next day."

No need for Rasheed: Jim Boylan was asked before the game if Rasheed Wallace's absence Sunday because of an ankle injury could end up working against the Bulls.

While winning six of the last seven regular-season games between the teams, the Bulls often took advantage of Detroit's older and slower interior players, Wallace and Antonio McDyess.

"I like my chances better with him out of the lineup than I do with him in the lineup, that's for sure," Boylan said.

Even though he was in street clothes, Wallace still did his pregame dance inside the Pistons' huddle.

Bull horns: Tickets still are available for the FestaBulls dinner and charity auction April 6 at the United Center. For information, contact the Bulls at (312) 455-4122. … There was nearly a full reunion of players who won championships with both the Bulls and the Pistons in the 1990s. John Salley and James Edwards were at the Palace, but there was no sign of Dennis Rodman.