A busy day at the Berto Center didn't involve a Christmas Eve coach's firing but did feature Vinny Del Negro confirming a Tribune report that Kirk Hinrich is the starting guard over John Salmons for at least Saturday's game against the Hornets.
Salmons took the benching hard.
"I'm human," he said. "It's not fun. You never want to be demoted. But I've been down before. I have to deal with it."
With Hinrich starting next to Derrick Rose, the Bulls will have two point guards in the backcourt, which Del Negro hopes speeds up the offense.
"I just think it's another ball-handler out there, another pick-and-roll guy," Del Negro said. "Kirk's one of our best defenders, if not our best defender. We can play with a little more thrust or pace with Kirk. John and Brad are still going to get minutes. But where we're at right now warrants some kind of change. It's not engraved in stone or a permanent thing. But right now, I just feel that's the direction we need to go."
Taj Gibson also will remain in the starting lineup for Brad Miller.
And Tyrus Thomas participated in a full contact practice and is still scheduled to return Saturday after missing seven weeks following surgery to repair a fractured radius in his left forearm.
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Bulls need to make a major move before the trade deadline...
Get involved with some other teams to get everybody something that they want/need...
Utah gets Hinrich, Tyrus Thomas, & Brad Miller;
Golden State gets Boozer & Andrei Miller;
Portand gets Mehmet Okur;
Chicago gets Monta Ellis, Anthony Randolph, Corey Magette, Jared Bayless, & Kyle Korver (expiring contract).
Then if Chicago can package Randolph with some combination of Salmons, Deng, Korver, Jerome James (expiring contract), or whoever (aside from Rose & Noah & the newly acquired Ellis) and draft picks to Toronto for Bosh (he is gone after the season anyway) .
Has anyone else noticed that Del Negro keeps using "Thrust" and "Kirk Hinrich" in the same sentence? What is he hinting at? In totally unrelated news, kirk is now his starter.
Kirk is the most overrated player in the history of the franchise. Never have I seen such a garbage player that is constantly sold as the franchise savior. We kept this guy over Ben Gordon? Are you kidding me?
These fans are right! No sense trying to change anything or do anything different. The Bulls should have just left their lineup the way it is!
I don't care anymore. Losing to the awful Kings drain the hell out of me.
Pasxson's Laff-A-Bulls are starting Capt. Klank off the rim Hinrich who is a career inconsistent streak shooter.
Klank Hinrich can't beat any one off the dribble. He is a circle dribbling clock eater, his turn over average will soon surpass his assist average!
Hinrich is the at the core of the Laff-A-Bulls problems he is over paid and grossly over rated just like the fragile Deng and the weakling No-Shot Noah the coward who mouthed off to L. James then cowered on the bench.
Awsome they are starting Captain Klank Hinrich, most teams want to lead the league in scoring not the Bulls they are trying to finish last in scoring. Well the racist Jerry Reinsdorf should be happy his boy Hinrich will be starting and throwing up bricks while all Ben Gordon did was hit shots!