"Tyrus brings us more depth, more versatility, more athleticism," Del Negro said. "It's a big loss for us, no question."

As if waiting for someone to drop in their lap, like Jordan at No. 3 in the 1985 draft, the Bulls let Ben Gordon go because they couldn't move Kirk Hinrich's contract, even if they still might have found a taker and, even after banking all that money for 10 years, they won't pay the luxury tax.

"Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Bill Russell all those guys should have their jerseys retired, too," Jordan said. "I understand his gesture, but I am in the same group as those guys so I wouldn't want to see my jersey retired unless you retire those guys. It is a compliment. I totally understand that. I appreciate LeBron for doing that and it is very thoughtful."

"It's great playing out here," Rose said after Wednesday's practice. "I love playing out here. Besides Chicago, I like to play out here all the time. You got great weather. If you want to do something you can go eat anywhere. Shop anywhere. Get rest. People really don't care who you are out here because you have some people that are bigger than you out here. So, they don't really care about who you are. They just let you be."

"I’m not getting no haircut," Derrick Rose was saying Wednesday after practice at USC. "I’m not touching my hair anymore until I get back on track. I’m just trying to change something. There’s got to be something I’m doing wrong. I know the injury was something, but, man, it’s taking me too long to get back

Derrick Rose says: "Not yet," he said after the Bulls shootaround Tuesday morning. "I still haven't been feeling aggressive yet, but you'll probably see it in [Tuesday night against the Sacramento Kings]. I'm going to come out and just try to fight and be way, way more aggressive."

To Stone, there’s one story that tells it all. There’s a reference to which he always returns. Three years ago, Jennings had come to New York as a high school junior to play in the Elite 24 all-star game that Stone had started, and he won the MVP over players like Michael Beasley(notes) and Kevin Love(notes). The next morning, it was Stone’s job to drive over to the Westin Hotel in Times Square and make sure the kids were awake by 8 a.m. on the way to LaGuardia for flights home. So, Stone walked into the hotel lobby at 6, the elevator doors opened and there was a vision that brought him back to his days growing up in the Bay Area.

"And here comes Brandon walking out with a basketball under his arm, a T-shirt and shorts," Stone said. "He had just achieved his greatest accomplishment as a high school player, and he’s running out the door to go work out with Ben Gordon. That always stuck with me."

"And I'm in Miami, where I've won a championship and this is where I love to be. So it's not like we're both looking over our shoulders, saying, 'I want to get out of here.' It's a long shot, but, at the end of the day, it is a shot."

Rashad McCants: I can say I'm 100% and Ready to roll! But don't expect much to change. I had an Injury on top of bein a FA all summer, w/ a rep! Twitter.com
HoopsHype

This is not a team built to win games by simply outscoring its opponent, but a team that likes to use the shot clock and get good looks at the hoop.