Bulls grab Nichols off waivers

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- How often does a young player score 14 points in the final game before he's released?

Well, that is Thomas Gardner's story. The rookie shooting guard was let go Friday when the Bulls decided to claim Demetris Nichols off waivers from Cleveland.

Gardner scored 14 points at Denver on Nov. 20, then was sidelined for a few days with a bruised rib. He never suited up again for the Bulls.

"Our personnel guys had (Nichols) ranked much higher than where he went in the draft," coach Scott Skiles said. "So it's an opportunity to take a look at him. He's a good shooter. I liked watching him play in college. His main strength is that he's able to step out on the perimeter and make shots."

The 6-foot-8 Nichols was chosen by Portland in the second round of June's draft with the No. 53 overall pick and immediately traded to New York.

After playing summer league and preseason with the Knicks, he was waived late in October. Nichols made three brief appearances with the Cavs but had to go when holdout Anderson Varejao rejoined the team this week.

Nichols, a Rhode Island native, averaged 18.9 points as a senior at Syracuse, attempting more than half of his field goals from behind the 3-point arc. He's expected to join the Bulls today.

Nichols was chosen two turns in the draft after the Bulls selected JamesOn Curry, who is averaging 22 points and 6.6 assists in his D-League assignment with the Iowa Energy.

Flip sees misses: Detroit coach Flip Saunders had this take on the Bulls' early-season struggles:

"This is a funny league, it's a league of making shots," he said. "When you make shots, your defense is better, your offense looks better, the coach looks better, the players look better. When you don't make shots, everyone looks bad. Right now they're just in a stretch where they're just not making shots. But they're getting the same shots they had last year."

One-man armies: The Pistons seemed to attack the Bulls one at a time Friday. Rasheed Wallace scored 13 of his 17 points in the first quarter, Richard Hamilton scored 22 of his 24 in the second and third quarters, then Chauncey Billups tallied 15 of his team's 20 points in the fourth.

"They were doing what we were doing," Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. "They were going to what was working at the time."

Bull horns: The Bulls wore their throwback uniforms from 1995-96 -- black with red pinstripes -- for the first time this season. … Tyrus Thomas, who produced 19 points and 14 rebounds in the Bulls' home win over Detroit on Nov. 8, did not play in Friday's rematch.