The Bulls looked like their old selves Saturday night, especially Ben Wallace. But I'm not celebrating his complete return, as anytime Tim Thomas starts at power forward you know it's not a very tough rebounding squad.
Luol's out for tonight and a few more. He looked pretty awful in the 2nd half Saturday, so I'd rather see him sit than see him 'grit' it out, as we've all seen how that's playing with Wallace. I guess that Nocioni signing is coming in handy if Luol's out for an extended time, because Thabo has clearly received no credit problems getting that mortgage for Skiles' doghouse. So Noc will be at the 3 and the well-rested (8 minutes last night) Tyrus Thomas will be back starting at the 4.
The Lakers are without Ronny Turiaf, so look for my guy Brian Cook to be chuckin away more than he should. Go Illini! The Lakers bench has actually done a lot of damage this season, and either through ineffectiveness or inactivity, the Bulls have very few reliable options on this supposedly deep squad.
So with Wallace looking ok, and Gordon having a big night, we're all still waiting for Kirk Hinrich to stop being the worst starting point guard in basketball. With no Luol Deng, tonight would be a good time to start. Especially since after a night in L.A., Duhon may have some flu-like symptoms.
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