Easy on eye? They hope
At this point, three or four years into their NBA careers, the core players on the Bulls are quite familiar with "the look."
Words are unnecessary. Not even hand signals or gestures. All coach Scott Skiles has to do is give them "the look," and the players are able to discern his level of approval or disgust at what he is watching on the court.
With the Bulls' season set to tip off Wednesday night in New Jersey, players such as Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Chris Duhon hardly need to be reminded about Skiles' expectations for them.
"As the team grows up and guys mature, he probably wants a lot of things to be handled internally with the players—just kind of hold each other accountable," Hinrich said.
Hinrich is the team's fourth-year co-captain, point guard and floor leader.
"We have always believed we're good, but it's a comfort level playing with each other, knowing what's expected of us, knowing how to be successful as a group out there," he said. "Right now we're focused on having a good start. In past years we haven't had a good start. We know we're going to go out west soon (Nov. 15). We want to get a little momentum."
Skiles expects Hinrich to be more authoritative on the floor this season.
"With Kirk, it's always the decisions: What kind of decisions does he make?" Skiles said. "All point guards are like that: What kind of decisions do you make with the ball? It's easy after a game to pick apart a point guard, much like a quarterback, and look at all the open men the quarterback didn't see or whatever. But you have to live with the decisions the guy with the ball makes."
Skiles was pleased with what he saw from Hinrich in the Bulls' final exhibition game Friday night against the Bucks.
"When I'm able to get into the lane, [teammates] do a good job of moving," Hinrich said. "I seem to know where guys are going to be. I have a good feel for it. This was the first time we had me, [Gordon] and Luol playing together in the preseason. We talked about playing like it was a regular-season game. We did a good job of that."
While the Bulls veterans are familiar with Skiles' coaching philosophy, style and personality, young players such as first-round draft pick Joakim Noah are learning on the job.
"Hopefully I get several years here to know my coach," Joakim Noah said with a laugh, indirectly referring to the Kobe Bryant trade rumors.
"I don't know exactly what's going to happen. I know it's a business and all. But I'm happy here, and I feel I definitely can get better here and win basketball games here."
Word on street:
Bulls center Ben Wallace is entering his 12th NBA season, his second with the Bulls. He, too, aspires to be more of a leader.
"I try to be a leader, but I didn't want to lead them into the locker room," Wallace said with a smile, referring to the sprained ankle he suffered against the Bucks.
Wallace averaged 6.4 points and 10.7 rebounds last season.
"Anytime you're introduced into a new system, it's a little different, it takes a little time to get used to it," he said. "Now I've had a year to get to know this system. I'm a lot more comfortable with what we're trying to do."
Overheard:
Joakim Noah is not expected to play Wednesday because of his ankle injury, but he is looking forward to becoming an integral part of the rotation.
"I expected [the transition to the NBA] to be tough, and it is," he said. "I'm trying to do the best I can, and my expectations were to just work as hard as I can. I feel I've been doing that. I'm not satisfied. I think I can be better and contribute more. But I need to prove that to the coaches. Every game is just a learning experience for me.
"I knew I would have great teammates. It's just the X's and O's and where to be defensively. And getting trust from your coach because you're a rookie and you have to learn a new system. It has been tough just knowing when to make your move and stuff like that. Some moves don't even work anymore because everybody [in the NBA] is great. Everybody can play basketball at the highest level. The preseason has helped me realize what I need to improve on."
Local attractions:
The Weber High School Alumni Association continues to operate as a non-profit organization, though the school closed in 1999. The 49th annual reunion-banquet will be Nov. 10 at White Eagle Banquet Hall in Niles. Honorees will be from the classes of 1947, '57, '67 and '82. For more info, visit weberalumni.com or call 773-852-2013. The group's mission is to provide tuition assistance to local Catholic high school students.
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