Bulls’ Gibson being watched for flopping
Taj Gibson reportedly was given warning that he violated the league’s anti-flopping rules during Saturday’s victory over Cleveland.
It happened in the first quarter. Gibson was running down the court, made some contact with Cavs guard Kyrie Irving, spun and raised his arms in the air as he backpedaled. The referee called a foul on Irving on the play.
If this happens again, Gibson could be hit with a $5,000 fine. Detroit guard Brandon Jennings also got a flop warning over the weekend.
Hinrich, Butler practice:It#146;s looking like Kirk Hinrich and Jimmy Butler will be back for Wednesday#146;s game in Brooklyn, while Luol Deng#146;s status is unclear.Hinrich missed the past five games with a sore back. Butler missed the past two with a sprained right ankle and recently missed 11 games with a turf-toe injury on his right foot. Hinrich and Butler both went through a full practice Monday at the Berto Center.#147;Today was big for me to get my legs underneath me a little bit, get a little bit of timing and rhythm,#148; Hinrich said. #147;If I don#146;t get hurt walking to the car or getting off the couch or anything like that, I plan on playing.#147;It was spasms, just from, I think, wear and tear. I#146;ve been seeing a chiropractor a lot, doing everything I can to get lined up and get everything loosened up where I can move and play. I was hoping it wasn#146;t going to take this long, but I#146;m happy it is finally better.#148;Deng has missed six of the last nine games with a sore left Achilles.Paxson speaks on Rose:Bulls president of basketball operations John Paxson spoke positively about Derrick Rose#146;s right knee injury during an appearance Monday on SiriusXM NBA Radio.#147;The good news for Derrick and for us is that the surgery was a success. The meniscus, the tear in it wasn#146;t as severe as it could have been. In fact it was in pretty good shape, so the surgical procedure went very well,#148; Paxson said. #147;But again, it#146;s just one of those injuries that is going to take time.#148;Regarding Luol Deng, Paxson said the lack of a contract extension last summer #147;has nothing to do with whether you want to keep a player or not.#148; Deng will be a free agent after the season.#147;We have great regard for Lu. #133; He#146;s been a terrific player for us, and he#146;s a great guy. You never get any problems from Lu. He takes care of himself. He prepares the right way. He#146;s a very, very good basketball player. So as we#146;ve said all along you want to try to make it work and there#146;s still that possibility.#147;So we#146;ll see where it goes. Again, nothing is etched in stone.#148;Mirotic makes news:There was a report from Europe that Real Madrid is trying to sign Nikola Mirotic to a contract extension. How that affects the Bulls#146; efforts to sign Mirotic next summer is anyone#146;s guess.The 6-foot-10 forward already is under contract through 2016, but the Bulls expect to make a push next summer to sign their 2011 draft pick and there#146;s every reason to believe Mirotic is anxious to play in the NBA.In 10 EuroLeague games this season, Mirotic has averaged 15.2 points and shot 64 percent (18 for 28) from 3-point range.