The chain reaction started when Ron Artest’s getting activated from the injured list Thursday forced A.J. Guyton to lose out in a numbers game and Fred Hoiberg to sit for the first time this season.
Guyton, the second-year point guard, was placed on the injured list with what the team called a left hamstring strain. Guyton scored six points against Atlanta Saturday night and was averaging 4.3 points in 8.5 minutes.
He must sit out a minimum of five games.
Second-year center Dalibor Bagaric is averaging 2.7 points in the same amount of time. But the Bulls, who go three players deep at both center and point guard, went with size over shooting.
“I’m disappointed because I know I can play,” Guyton said. “Until I get my opportunity to show that I’m a good player and I can help the team win, then I’m just another player.
“But what alternative do I have?”
A consummate team player, Hoiberg talked with coach Tim Floyd before the game and offered to sacrifice minutes to get Artest action. He also was seen giving pointers to Artest at one point on the bench.
Asked before the game if he felt for Guyton, Hoiberg spoke words that rang true for his new situation.
“Guys have to remember that there are going to be opportunities throughout the course of the season,” Hoiberg said. “You’ve got to stay positive and stay ready.”
Center of attention: Fresh from a visit to his hometown of Cleveland, Charles Oakley descended on the city in which he played his last three seasons.
Oakley offered his typically colorful views on the state of the Raptors, including this gem about general manager Glen Grunwald’s decision to trade him to the Bulls:
“I guess he thought he was putting me under the tailpipe. But I’m a survivor.”
Oakley reiterated that the comments critical of Floyd that he made earlier this season to draw a $50,000 fine have left no lingering effects.
“I never had a bad relationship with Tim Floyd,” Oakley said. “I don’t blame the coach. I keep trying to tell everybody: I’m not a bad guy. I might speak my mind, but I’m not a bad guy.”
Back to the future: Michael Jordan’s Wizards blew through Toronto Sunday as part of their current seven-game win streak. The stop allowed Jordan to renew acquaintances with Raptors assistant and one-time Bulls head man Stan Albeck, who coached Jordan in his second season and Oakley in his first.
“Michael’s skills have deteriorated somewhat,” Albeck said. “I’m sure if you ask him, he’s not getting to all the places that he got to before.
“Nevertheless he has an impact because he knows where people are if you double-team him. He gets the ball to those people. And you have to be aware of him because if you don’t, he’ll have a big night.”
The 1985-86 Bulls finished 30-52. An injured Jordan played only 18 games but scored a playoff-record 63 points against Boston. Albeck was fired.
Now Jordan has reinvented himself–again.
“Great players can make those kinds of adjustments,” Albeck said. “Players who can’t do that are out of the league. He’s had an impact by providing great leadership and setting a frame of mind where they believe they can win.”
