Luc Longley missed his seventh straight game Monday night because of a left knee sprain, and an original day-to-day prognosis now may be changed to “week-to-week,” Bulls coach Phil Jackson said.
Longley said he worked out again Monday morning during a team shootaround, but still feels pain in the knee and is doubtful he will play against Indiana Tuesday.
“The diagnosis led us to believe it wasn’t going to be anything of any magnitude,” Jackson said. “Yet the healing process has not happened. My sense is it’s doubtful (he’ll play Tuesday).”
That could be a problem against a physical Indiana team, which features Rik Smits in the middle and big bodies in Dale and Antonio Davis. But the Bulls are now 6-1 with the lineup of Toni Kukoc at power forward and Dennis Rodman at center.
Both played well again against New Jersey, with Kukoc scoring a game-high 21 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. Rodman grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds. The performances should make Jackson’s decision interesting when Longley returns.
“We’re just going game by game right now,” said Jackson. “We don’t know when Luc is coming back. We do know that Toni kept us going tonight.”
Guess who? David Vaughn, recently waived by the Bulls after being acquired in the Jason Caffey trade, signed a 10-day contract with New Jersey March 7. He played 22 minutes Monday, finishing with four points, three steals, two rebounds and a blocked shot.
About that block . . . Vaughn rose to the occasion at the 2 minute, 16 second mark of the first quarter, blocking a dunk attempt by Michael Jordan. Earlier in the quarter, Jordan had missed a wide-open slam-dunk attempt when the ball slipped from his hands and came hard off the back of the rim.
“I knew my night was screwed when I missed that dunk,,” Jordan said with a laugh. “I just tried to contribute in other ways.”
Jordan scored 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting but added seven rebounds. Jordan also had four turnovers. “No one says you’re going to play well every night,” he said.
And baby makes five: Margot Kerr, wife of Steve, gave birth to the couple’s third child Monday morning. Matthew Malcolm was born at 12:54 a.m., checking in at 7 pounds, 1 ounce.
“My other son, Nicholas, who is 5, in all seriousness wanted to name him Michael Jeffrey Kerr,” Steve said. “I told him he can worship Michael (Jordan), but I had to draw the line somewhere.”
Rony return: Rony Seikaly, who has given the Bulls fits, made his first appearance since Feb. 13 and first as a Net when he entered with 9:01 left in the fourth quarter. Seikaly, acquired Feb. 19 from Orlando, has been out with a bruised bone in his right foot. He had six points and three rebounds in nine minutes.
Toe talk: Nets forward Keith Van Horn, averaging 18.6 points and 6.6 rebounds as one of the league’s best rookies, missed his third straight game with a broken toe. Van Horn, who played two games with the injury, says he probably will return to action Thursday, when New Jersey plays host to Orlando.
“I played on it against Charlotte and San Antonio, but it got progressively worse,” Van Horn said. “I’m just resting it a little bit, so it doesn’t get to a situation where I miss four weeks or something.”
