Most teams that have visited the playoffs in consecutive seasons make about as many personnel changes as the Supreme Court.
Then there is the Bulls, who flipped over almost half of their roster. Seven new faces on the projected 15-man roster are taking part in training camp.
“I know we have that many new players,” coach Scott Skiles said. “But it doesn’t feel like that. We have two rookies who are very quick learners. The other new guys are playoff-hardened veterans, and there’s not anything we’re doing here they haven’t seen some version of before.”
Indeed, Ben Wallace, Adrian Griffin and P.J. Brown make any transition easier. But Skiles also praised newcomer Viktor Khryapa.
“Everybody is picking things up quickly,” guard Kirk Hinrich said. “We’re throwing a lot of stuff at them.”
Veteran Malik Allen, with the Bulls last season, remembered playing for Miami in 2003-04 when it reached the Eastern Conference semifinals. Then it added Shaquille O’Neal in the off-season, which led to other drastic personnel changes.
“This is a dramatic change too,” Allen said. “But we’re meshing quickly, which bodes well for us because we have a tough early schedule.”
As for the veteran experience, Skiles interrupted a question about what Wallace and Brown bring with . . . “I actually even played against P.J.,” he said, smiling. “He’s not a young guy.”
Rookie raves
Besides lauding the attack-the-rim mentality Tyrus Thomas is exhibiting, Skiles offered this assessment of Thabo Sefolosha’s play: “It’s hard to imagine him not being in the rotation.”
Management envisions three-guard sets with Sefolosha, at 6 feet 7 inches, providing size.
“He’s an NBA player,” Skiles said. “I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised.”
Layups
Michael Sweetney, who battled weight and conditioning issues all last season, didn’t practice Thursday morning after experiencing cramping late Wednesday. He returned for the night session. . . . Single-game Bulls tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Saturday at the United Center box office, all TicketMaster outlets, www.bulls.com and at 1-800-4NBA-TIX. . . . Skiles hung the “Noce” nickname on Andres Nocioni two seasons ago. Nocioni consistently protested, saying he preferred his childhood nickname of “Chapu” after a Mexican cartoon character. Skiles finally is calling Nocioni “Chapu.” “We didn’t have a sitdown,” Skiles said. “But he’s letting us know that’s his nickname by that tattoo on his leg.”
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kcjohnson@tribune.com
