Bulls' Smith missing practice with sore knee

Newcomer Joe Smith reports that the first few days of Bulls practice have been intense. Maybe a little too intense.

Smith sat out Thursday's session after experiencing some swelling in his right knee. The 6-foot-10 power forward is hoping to be back on the court today.

"There's no soreness or anything," said Smith, who had arthroscopic surgery on the same knee in 2006. "I've been working out this summer, and it's been fine. No matter how hard you work out, nothing can prepare you for training camp."

Smith, 32, certainly has the credentials to judge the stress level of Bulls practice. Beginning his 13th NBA season, Smith is in camp with his sixth different team. He's also been traded a couple of times in mid-season.

"We've been getting after it the last two days," he said. "Even though physically we're getting tired a little bit, you really can't tell because everybody's into it every day. I just see the sky's the limit for us."

Smith admitted he doesn't know his new teammates very well. His family, which includes three children, keeps a permanent home in Arizona, so he didn't arrive in Chicago until late September.

The Bulls hope Smith can provide many of the same skills as ex-Bulls forward P.J. Brown, the man he is essentially replacing. Like Brown, Smith has a reliable face-up jumper and has been a steady rebounder.

"Before he went out, he shot the ball very well," coach Scott Skiles said. "He's moved around very well, ran the floor well. He's picked up our defensive end. So he's going to be a factor for our team, there's no question about that. He could start at four (small forward). He could come off the bench. He's content to do either."

Obviously, greeting a new set of teammates has been common practice for Smith. He's changed uniforms eight times, including two separate stops in both Minnesota and Philadelphia.

Maybe he didn't live up to the expectations of a No. 1 overall draft pick, as chosen by Golden State in 1995, but Smith has had a productive career.

"I'm not disappointed at all," he said. "I think I've been consistent year in and year out, no matter which team I've been on. I can't really try to live up to everybody's expectations. I've had different roles on different teams. My first couple of years, my role was to score. When I got to Minnesota, we had Kevin (Garnett) to score, so my role changed."

Smith's highest scoring average (18.7 points) occurred in his second season with the Warriors and his best rebounding season (8.7) came as a rookie.

"I'm pretty happy with my career," he said. "The only thing I'm not happy about right now is not having a title. That's my next goal, and hopefully I can get that here."