Luol Deng hasn’t played a game since March 31, and frankly, it shows. But there’s no panic in Deng or Bulls coach Scott Skiles.
“We feel like he’s getting better out here every day, but he’s still not in the kind of form he was in when he was playing really well last year,” Skiles said after practice Sunday. “He’s in good physical shape, but the level of activity and how physical it is, he just has to get used to it again.”
Deng’s impressive rookie season was cut short by a torn ligament in his right wrist that required surgery. He spent the summer rehabilitating.
Skiles expects to play Deng on a limited basis in exhibition games. The Bulls open preseason play Tuesday against the Pistons in Grand Rapids, Mich.
“We’re going to monitor him in the first couple of games to make sure we don’t overdo it with him,” Skiles said.
Deng said he is happy with his progress, considering he started playing in pickup games only two weeks ago.
“I’m just trying to get used to the flow again,” he said.
Bulls staffers gave Deng high marks for his off-season workouts. He shuttled back and forth from the Berto Center to physical therapy appointments in the northwest suburbs.
When he couldn’t use his right hand during his recovery, he worked extensively with his left.
“I did a lot of things to try to improve my game,” he said.
Deng played in 61 games last season and started 45. Can he get back his starting spot considering how well Andres Nocioni filled in?
“It’s not something I worry about it,” Deng said, an answer befitting his low-key nature. “Starting means a lot to some guys. Not on our team. There are so many players on our team that if you don’t get it done, a guy will come off the bench and get it done, and he’ll stay in there.
“On some teams it might matter who starts because the starters really get the most minutes. That wasn’t the case here last year.”
Starting up
Skiles said he and his staff have put a lot of thought into potential lineups–not for the preseason but for the regular season that begins Nov. 2 against Charlotte.
“I wouldn’t read too much into who I start Tuesday,” he said.
“Maybe if you have perennial All-Star-type players, it’s clear over the summer what the lineup is and who’s going to start. That’s not the makeup of our team yet. All the spots are wide open.”
Does that mean Skiles hasn’t decided if Kirk Hinrich will start? Hinrich started all 77 games he played in last season.
“Anything’s possible,” Skiles said.
Ailing
Injuries kept Nocioni, Chris Duhon and Eric Piatkowski out of practice, and a right shoulder injury limited Darius Songaila to light work. Piatkowski missed practice for a second day with an injured left knee.
Duhon and Nocioni were banged up Friday and experienced heightened pain after practicing Saturday. Duhon has a pulled groin and Nocioni complained of lower back and hip pain from a hard fall, Skiles said.
“The guys on our team are tough. We tend to leave it up to them,” Skiles said of decisions on whether to play through soreness. “Neither should have gone [Saturday] because they were very, very sore today.”
Getting the point
Point guard Omar Cook has impressed during training camp, “but there are a bunch of bodies in front of him,” Skiles said. Cook, a New York playground luminary, turned professional in 2001 after his freshman season at St. John’s but has spent most of his career in the NBA’s developmental league.
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mxgarcia@tribune.com
