Bulls' Lopez willing to take his game new places
Robin Lopez doesn't tweet often, but he dispersed a memorable one a couple of days ago.
Above a clip of the ball bouncing off his face to Taj Gibson for a dunk Sunday at Memphis, Lopez wrote, "Basketball is in danger of growing stale. I'm taking it to strange new places."
He had a hashtag featuring a quote from "The Simpsons." Lopez's previous tweet, by the way, was birthday greetings to Walt Disney with a photo of Lopez standing outside Disney's boyhood home in Chicago while holding a Mickey Mouse doll.
Keep Lopez's colorful personality in mind when reading these next quotes. He was asked Wednesday if he's going to join the trend and become the next 3-point shooting big man.
"That's something I've been working on more this season," said Lopez, who scored a season-high 21 points Tuesday against Dallas. "I don't know if it's game ready yet. That's more of a confidence issue. Coach Pete (Myers) has me shooting corner 3s before games.
"I think the way the NBA is going, I don't see why not. If (twin brother) Brook can do it, I definitely can."
Brooklyn's Brook Lopez has made 66 baskets from 3-point range after making just 3 in his first eight NBA seasons. Robin is 0-for-5 from 3-point range for his career.
"I've always prided myself on being a defensive big man," Robin said. "I've always admired that kind of back-to-the-basket game; that's what I grew up watching. But who doesn't like stepping out and shooting 3s?"
So when will he launch one in a game?
"Hopefully tomorrow," he said "Is there a game tomorrow?"
No.
"Friday … as soon as possible," he added.
Matthews talks Butler:
Dallas' Wesley Matthews scored just 11 points Tuesday but won the battle against former Marquette teammate Jimmy Butler.
Matthews hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, then knocked the ball away from Butler on the final possession. Dwyane Wade ended up missing a jumper at the buzzer.
After the game, Matthews talked about Butler's rise from No. 30 overall draft pick to NBA star.
"A lot of it is opportunity and how much you love the game," Matthews said. "Obviously, he's got a lot of love for the game. I've known him since he was 18 years old and he's always had that drive. His background from where he's coming from and what he's had to go through, basketball's easy."
Matthews is referring to Butler being homeless during some of his teenage years in Tomball, Texas.
"We had a lot of scorers at Marquette, so he had to kind of play his role," Matthews added. "When he came into college, he had a nice knack for slashing and a midrange game. I think he's just honing what he's always had."
Bulls horns:
Taj Gibson did not practice Wednesday to rest a sore left ankle, but Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg expects him to play Friday in Atlanta. … According to Dleaguedigest.com, former Bulls guard Ben Gordon has signed a D-League contract, and it's possible he could end up with the Hoffman Estates-based Windy City Bulls.