Deng still seeking comfort zone
DALLAS -- Bulls coach Jim Boylan felt three games of bringing his two leading scorers off the bench was enough.
Forward Luol Deng returned to the starting lineup Monday night in Dallas. After missing 12 games with left Achilles' tendinitis, Deng was a reserve for the first three games following the all-star break.
"I just feel like it's time for him to get back in there," Boylan said before the game. "He's doing fine with his Achilles, so we can play him some extended minutes. We need him back in there. There are not too many games left; we're sort of running down here."
Deng looked good in his first game back at New Jersey, then seemed to struggle to find a comfort zone against Denver and Houston. He hit just 8 of 25 shots, finishing with 10 points and 6 rebounds in both contests.
Deng left the floor late in the third quarter Monday with a bloody gash near his right eye but returned about 10 minutes later after getting four stitches. He finished with 10 points and 9 rebounds, hitting 3 of 9 shots.
"We're still trying to work it out," Deng said. "There's still a lot of confusion (with the new players). I think we're going to get better the more we play together, but it's very confusing right now."
Another recent problem for the Bulls was Andres Nocioni getting some tough defensive assignments at the start of games, such as New Jersey's Richard Jefferson and Denver's Carmelo Anthony. Nocioni returned to a reserve role Monday.
Bulls shuffle guards: For the first game-and-a half of the post-trade era, Jim Boylan stuck with Kirk Hinrich and Thabo Sefolosha in the starting lineup, then played Ben Gordon and Larry Hughes together off the bench.
That all changed Monday when Hinrich was tossed out of the game for arguing a call in the second quarter. But Boylan does envision some lineup experimentation coming. He might see how Hinrich and Hughes work together, for example.
"Nothing's written in stone right now," Boylan said. "Everything is fluid. We'll shake things up and try different combinations and see how things go. You try not to be all over the map. You want to give guys a chance, not one shift out there and if you don't like what you see you don't go back to it again."
The Bulls still haven't had a chance to hold a full practice with their new group of players, but they expect to do something today in Indianapolis.
Bull horns: Guard Chris Duhon did not play for the second consecutive game ... Dallas center Erick Dampier, who averages 1.3 blocks on the season, rejected 7 shots by the Bulls. ... General manager John Paxson said little-used guard Demetris Nichols will return to the D-League when this road trip ends.