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The Chicago Bulls announced today that the team has waived forward Demetris Nichols.
Nichols (6-8, 216), appeared in two games this season with Chicago and averaged 1.0 ppg in 2.5 mpg. Nichols was claimed on waivers by the Bulls on Dec. 7, 2007 and was re-signed by Chicago on July 24, 2008. He was originally selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round (53rd selection) of NBA Draft 2007.
Chicago’s roster now stands at 14.
Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose already looks like a star. He’s exceeding even the highest expectations anyone could have set for him and if early season performances are any indication Rose could wind up in the same sentence as young PG stars Chris Paul and Deron Williams in the future. Here’s the Chicago Tribune (K.C. Johnson):
If Rose can maintain his averages of 18.9 points, 5.6 assists and 5.0 rebounds, he would join Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Grant Hill, Alvan Adams, Steve Francis and Magic Johnson as the only rookies to average 18, 5 and 5. Rose’s prodigious talent and unique rookie consistency are a big reason the Bulls (5-5) are off to just their third .500-or-better start after 10 games since Jordan left town. To hear Rose tell it, Vinny Del Negro deserves credit as well. “He’s always talking to me and making sure I understand the different situations I’m seeing,” Rose said. “It feels good knowing that he has my back. He and my teammates are always helping me, teaching me stuff. They’re like my big brothers.”
Rose’s emergence makes it even more obvious that the Bulls may someday trade Kirk Hinrich, who is talented but not quite living up to his contract and doesn’t have the potential Rose appears to have.
The AP reports: Derrick Rose showed another dimension to his already impressive game and led the Chicago Bulls to a victory just before they start a tough seven-game road trip. Besides his quick first step and fearless forays to the basket, Rose displayed his 3-point shot Saturday night while scoring 23 points and helping the Bulls beat the Indiana Pacers 104-91… Rose finished 3-of-5 on 3-pointers after going 2-for-9 in the first nine games… T.J. Ford led the Pacers with 16 points. Ford had a pair of baskets, one after a steal, as Indiana closed within two in the fourth before the Bulls took off… Nocioni scored 20 points and had 11 rebounds, Gordon chipped in 19 points and Rose added eight assists. Danny Granger had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Troy Murphy 12 points and 13 boards for the Pacers.
Point guard Lindsey Hunter, who is so old he first started playing basketball before Earth’s ice age ended, signed with the Chicago Bulls yesterday. Here, he talks about it:
The Arlington Heights Daily Herald reports: “I’m kind of a Chicago guy,” Hunter said before Thursday’s game against Dallas. “So I’m pretty familiar with it. I spend a lot of time here in the summer.” Hunter is in relatively good shape because he trained with his 13-year-old son, Lindsey, a middle school cross-country runner. Then when asked why bother playing again after 15 years in the NBA, Hunter pointed to his father. “My Dad (another Lindsey) worked at General Motors for 30 years,” said Hunter, a native of Mississippi. “He talks to me every day about if you get a chance to play, you should play. He said, ‘I worked at a plant for 30 years, and you get to play basketball. So, if you can do that, you do it.’ I thought about that and was like, OK.” The Bulls signed the 6-foot-2 Hunter to provide help at point guard while Kirk Hinrich recovers from surgery to reattach a ligament in his right thumb. The Bulls expect Hinrich to be sidelined until mid-February.
The AP reports: They barely had time to work up a sweat before the Chicago Bulls found themselves trailing by 19 points Thursday night against the Dallas Mavericks. And less than six minutes into the game, the boos started rolling across the United Center… And that’s what the Bulls did. They turned up the defense, started running the floor, then caught up and passed the Mavericks for a 98-91 victory, sending Dallas to its fourth straight loss… “They were attacking us with transition and they put us on our heels early,” said Ben Gordon, who led the Bulls with 35 points… Derrick Rose, who shot 1-for-8 in the first half, was 6-for-7 in the third quarter, when he scored 14 of his 16 points. Luol Deng added 20 points… Josh Howard, returning after missing two games with sore wrist, led Dallas with 21 points and added 11 rebounds. Erick Dampier scored 16 and pulled down 18 boards… Dirk Nowitzki scored only 12 for the Mavs, shooting 5-for-17.
The Chicago Bulls today signed Lindsey Hunter. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed. Hunter, a 6-2, 195-pound guard, will be with the Bulls tonight when they host the Dallas Mavericks at the United Center at 7:30 p.m.
Hunter, a 15-year NBA veteran, most recently played with the Detroit Pistons during the 2007-08 campaign. Last year, he appeared in 24 games and averaged 2.4 ppg and 1.4 apg in 9.0 mpg.
The Utica, Miss native has enjoyed two stints with the Pistons (1993-2000, 2003-08). He has also played for the Milwaukee Bucks (2000-01), the L.A. Lakers (2001-02) and the Toronto Raptors (2002-03). For his career, he has posted averages of 8.8 ppg, 2.7 apg, 2.2 rpg and 1.23 spg in 25.5 mpg. He owns career shooting averages of .389 from the field, .362 from downtown and .746 from the line.
Originally selected by the Pistons in the first round (10th overall) of the 1993 NBA Draft, the 37-year old Hunter has been a member of 11 playoff teams, including the 2002 NBA Champion L.A. Lakers and the 2004 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons.
Chicago’s roster now stands at 15.
The AP reports: On a night when leading scorer Joe Johnson had trouble with his shot, Al Horford scored a career-high 27 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked six shots to lead a 113-108 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night… Mike Bibby added 22 points, hitting three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to fend off a Bulls rally. The Hawks had six players in double figures, including Johnson, who finished with 17—eight below his average. He shot 4-for-16. Atlanta got a lift off the bench from Maurice Evans, who scored 17 points including two late 3-pointers in the final quarter… Rookie Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 26 points to match his career high and had a career-best 10 rebounds and stayed in the game, despite pulling a muscle in his back in the first quarter. Andres Nocioni chipped in 20 points.
The AP reports: LeBron James toyed with Chicago again, scoring 41 points for the second time in four days, and the Cleveland Cavaliers hung on to beat the Bulls 106-97 on Saturday night… Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16 points for Cleveland, which was coming off a 111-107 victory over Indiana on Friday night, but the night belonged to James… Ben Gordon scored 29 points for Chicago. Luol Deng added 20, and Derrick Rose had 16… Besides Hinrich, the Bulls were missing F Drew Gooden.
Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich was examined earlier today by Dr. John Fernandez, and Bulls team physician, Dr. Brian Cole, both of Rush University Medical Center. The results of that exam confirmed the earlier MRI which showed a torn ulnar collateral ligament of his right thumb. The injury will require surgery, which will be performed on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at Rush.
Hinrich may be out as long as 12 weeks following his surgery. The injury occurred in the third quarter of last evening’s Bulls win over Phoenix. On the year, Hinrich has appeared in six games and averaged 8.3 ppg, 4.0 apg, 1.8 rpg and 1.33 spg in 24.5 mpg.
In his sixth season with the Bulls, Hinrich has appeared in 389 regular season games with the Bulls, and missed just 21 games during that span. Chicago’s first round pick (seventh overall) in NBA Draft 2003, he owns career averages of 14.3 ppg, 6.3 apg, 3.5 rpg, 1.30 spg and 35.0 mpg.
The AP reports: Ben Gordon issued a warning to the rest of the NBA after teammate Derrick Rose showed off a dizzying array of moves Friday night—the talented rookie is only going to get better. Rose had 18 points and six assists and Gordon scored 23 in the Chicago Bulls’ 100-83 victory over the Phoenix Suns… The Suns played without Shaquille O’Neal, who got the night off as part of a plan to rest him periodically throughout the season… Amare Stoudemire, coming off a 49-point performance against Indiana on Wednesday, finished with 26 points and seven rebounds for the Suns… Steve Nash played only 24 minutes and finished with six points and five assists.