Valentine ready to contribute to Bulls
It's common at the end of Bulls practices to see a few bench players get some extra work, but unusual to witness what happened Wednesday at the Advocate Center.
There were several post-practice games of four-on-four featuring starters, key reserves and bench players. It's difficult to follow wins and losses from a distance, but it was clear rookie Denzel Valentine was one of the stars.
Valentine was seen knocking down corner 3-pointers and putting the ball on the floor and scoring at the rim over Jimmy Butler. His team appeared to win the last two games of the day.
Valentine's team also included Rajon Rondo, Michael Carter-Williams and Paul Zipser. They went against Jimmy Butler, Jerian Grant, Isaiah Canaan and Bobby Portis.
Valentine's performance is interesting because the 6-5 swingman has been out with a sprained left ankle and just returned to practicing full-time on Tuesday. He suffered the injury in the Oct. 3 preseason opener.
Coach Fred Hoiberg watched most of the four-on-four outburst, so there's a good chance Valentine will get some playing time in Thursday's regular-season opener against Boston, despite being sidelined for three weeks.
"(The ankle) feels great right now," Valentine said. "The good thing about me is I don't need a whole lot of time with the team. I can kind of just sneak my way in and adapt."
Valentine was one of the most versatile players in college basketball last season, so he is confident he can take on any role.
"I'm very adaptable," he said. "I can do multiple things, so I'm not just like a set shooter or ballhandler or a point."
Rondo fond of old coach:
Rajon Rondo spent a season and a half playing in Boston for coach Brad Stevens, who is regarded as one of the NBA's bright young coaches. Rondo had nice things to say about his former coach.
"Probably the most positive coach I've ever played for," he said. "Very inspiring, very encouraging. As a player, you want to play for a guy like Brad Stevens."
Rondo played eight full seasons for the Celtics, then was traded to Dallas in the middle of the 2014-15 campaign. After last season in Sacramento, he is ready to get started here.
"I still get excited, still pumped up, ready to go," Rondo said. "It started last night. I came home from the gym and stood this close to the TV, just watching the (Knicks-Cavs) game at first. It started as a kid, I've always wanted to play this game. Blessed and fortunate to go out and play in front of so many fans."
Wade seeks help:
At the end of Wednesday's practice, Fred Hoiberg spent some time working with Dwyane Wade on his 3-point shot. After 13 successful years in the league, it would seem Wade doesn't need much help.
"Yeah, obviously he's done so many great things in his Hall of Fame career, you don't want to mess with it too much," Hoiberg said. "But he's talked that he hasn't worked much with his 3-point shot. The biggest thing is the footwork. It's good to get momentum into his shot, it's getting a rhythm into his shot. He's been very bought in and engaged when we've talked about it."
Bulls game day
Bulls vs. Boston Celtics at the United Center, 7 p.m. Thursday
TV: TNT Radio: WLS 890-AM
Outlook: The Celtics (48-34 last year) opened the season at home against Brooklyn on Wednesday, so this will be the second look at free-agent addition Al Horford, who spent the first nine years of his career in Atlanta. Otherwise, Boston's lineup is much the same as last year, with top scorer Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley in the backcourt, along with Jimmy Butler's former Marquette teammate Jae Crowder at small forward. Center Kelly Olynyk (shoulder) and PG Marcus Smart (ankle) are not expected to play. Third overall draft pick Jaylen Brown did well in preseason and should get some minutes. The Bulls went 1-2 against the Celtics last season, winning the lone game at the UC.
Next: Indiana Pacers on Saturday at the United Center, 7 p.m.
- Mike McGraw