If the Bulls played in the Atlantic Division, they would have awakened Wednesday to a mere half-game deficit from first place.
“Yippee,” coach Scott Skiles said.
That’s sarcasm. But using smarts would suggest the Bulls are fortunate the Eastern Conference has started so slowly.
Despite inconsistent play, an off-the-court controversy and a 5-9 mark, the Bulls own a two-game winning streak and just began a stretch of nine of 10 home games against mostly sub-.500 teams.
“I watch as many games as anybody and I can’t put my finger on why it’s happening,” Skiles said of the conference’s poor play. “We’re not alone. And, hopefully, we’ve played our worst basketball. It would be very disappointing if teams were running away from us. It possibly could be a tough sell to say, `We’re still in this.’ If we keep playing better, we’re right in the thick of things.”
Minute man
Tyrus Thomas has played only 52 minutes in the last nine games. And he hasn’t even worn a headband.
“He’s in a tough spot,” Skiles said of the first-round pick. “I’ve been there myself as a young player. You’re not sure when the game starts if you’re going to play or how much. Then you finally go in and you feel like you have to cram everything into the first couple of minutes. It can cause you to do some things you wouldn’t normally do.
“We talked about it [Wednesday] morning. He has to keep his energy level up defensively, calm down on offense and maybe touch the ball two or three times before he tries to do something.”
Layups
Adrian Griffin practiced and reported no soreness from the strained right calf that sidelined him for seven straight games before he logged three minutes Tuesday night.
