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Teague gets quick reprieve from D-League

Marquis Teague was back at the Berto Center on Wednesday following an aborted attempt to send him on a D-League assignment to the Iowa Express.

Teague made the trip to Des Moines and did leave the airport briefly before making a U-turn.

“I went to the gym with (Bulls assistant GM) Randy Brown,” Teague said. “We just talked to their team real fast, told them about the situation, then hit the road.”

Teague was brought back immediately when the Bulls found out veteran point guard Mike James had a knee sprain. Coach Tom Thibodeau said James could not pinpoint when the injury occurred.

“He actually got good news: Just a sprain,” Thibodeau said. “At this point, it’s basically maybe a week, could be a little longer. We’ll see.”

James replaced Teague as the backup point guard during the past two games. He played 13 minutes in Monday’s overtime loss to New Orleans.

Teague seeks playing time:Coach Tom Thibodeau was asked about Teague#146;s state of mind after coming back so quickly from his D-League assignment.#147;That wasn#146;t about punishment. That was about playing time,#148; Thibodeau said. #147;We talked about because it#146;s so close, we could call him back after a day, which we ended up doing.#147;We just thought him getting some playing time would be good. We have confidence in his. He just has to be ready to go. That was never a long-term situation. It was done with the thought of him getting some playing time.#148;Teague made it sound as though he would have appreciated some D-League playing time.#147;Of course, I would have loved getting a chance to play #151; getting some quality minutes, being able do what I do, show my game,#148; he said. #147;I#146;ve got to come back here and work hard. You never know what to expect.#148;Rose watches practice:Derrick Rose visited the Berto Center on Wednesday. He#146;s expected to meet the media on Thursday for his first public comments since having surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee on Nov. 25.Bulls game dayBulls vs. Miami Heat at the United Center, 8:30 p.m. ThursdayTV/radio: TNT/ESPN 1000-AMAt a glance: This isn’t quite the colossal matchup it could have been, but the Bulls have beaten Miami without Derrick Rose before. The Heat is coming off a home loss to Detroit on Tuesday, which ended a 10-game winning streak. LeBron James isn’t a lock to win MVP this season, but he is averaging 26 points, 6.3 assists, 5.8 rebounds and shooting 59.5 percent from the field. Dwyane Wade is at 18.5 points and didn’t play against the Pistons to rest a sore knee. Chris Bosh is averaging 14.5 points, lowest since his rookie season, but hit 3 straight 3-pointers to beat Charlotte on Sunday. Michael Beasley, believe it or not, is the Heat’s fourth-leading scorer at 11.1 ppg.Next: Detroit Pistons at the United Center, 7 p.m. Saturday— Mike McGraw

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