Bulls' aches piling up
With eight days until the regular-season opener, the Bulls' starting unit is a jumble because of injuries.
Starting guard Ben Gordon, who has missed all five preseason games with a sprained left ankle, practiced Monday. Starting forward Luol Deng, who missed the win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday with a bruised right wrist, did not.
''It's just day to day,'' Deng said of the injury he suffered in the opening two minutes Friday at Toronto. ''The swelling has gone down a little bit, but probably I don't think I'm going to play (tonight). I am going to try and practice on Wednesday and try to play on Thursday (at home against the Milwaukee Bucks)."
Gordon also sounded skeptical about being able to play tonight against Dallas.
''It was a little bit tender, but it felt OK for the first day back,'' Gordon said of his first full workout since rolling his ankle in practice Oct. 9. ''I'm real anxious, but at the same time, I understand that I can't push it."
Coach Scott Skiles thought Gordon appeared ''rusty'' in practice Monday.
''But in shape,'' Skiles said. ''He just hasn't played in a while.''
Should both Gordon and Deng be ready to play Thursday, the only question Skiles would need to answer would be which player starts at power forward: Joe Smith, Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas or Andres Nocioni.
Kirk Hinrich is inked in at starting point guard, as is Ben Wallace at center.
Trim time
The Bulls cut guard Andre Barrett and forward Jared Homan to trim the roster to 15. Though that is the maximum number of players a team can carry in the regular season, the Bulls can opt to keep a roster spot open in order to have some flexibility to sign somebody or make a trade. Which is why Skiles said Monday that Thomas Gardner, who has been filling Gordon's starting role, has yet to make the team.
''He may not be battling a player right now, but he's battling whether we want to leave the spot open,'' Skiles said. ''At this time of year, you have to be concerned that you have enough to practice and those kind of things."
Big doings
Skiles said he has liked the way rookie center Aaron Gray has played while on the court with Wallace, who moves to power forward when Gray is on the court.
''So far, he's been good,'' Skiles said of Gray. ''Ben's a good passer, and he found Aaron once the other night.''
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