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CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau is still undecided as to whether or not new shooting guard Rip Hamilton will make his Bulls debut in Tuesday night's preseason finale against the Indiana Pacers.

"Today was a little bit better," Thibodeau said after Monday afternoon's practice. "We'll see how it goes at the shootaround [Tuesday]. Then we'll make a decision."

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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Newly acquired Chicago Bulls guard Rip Hamilton is still unsure whether he will play or not during the team's second preseason game against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night.

"We'll see," Hamilton said after Sunday's practice. "Every day I get a little better. It's a lot to learn. Everything's new for me. We'll see how it feels when it comes."

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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Joakim Noah doesn't take losing well. That doesn't make him all that much different from most NBA players, it's just that he seems to take it more personally.

After Saturday's practice, he was asked to compare his feelings between the playoff loss of 2009 when the Bulls were dropped out of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals by the Boston Celtics and in 2011 when they fell to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.

"Losing is always hard," Noah said. "And the closer you get to your goal ... the goal is always to win a championship, the goal was to win a championship even three years ago. Even though we probably had less of a chance. You go into a season believing you're going to win the championship. [Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau] always says that. Now, who's willing to do all the things that have to be done to win? I think that maybe two years ago I really didn't know what that meant. As you grow and get experience, you start realizing, this is what we need to do."

Noah even experienced defeat over the summer in the European Championships when his French team lost the championship to Spain.

""Of course, beating Spain in the championship would have been great, but we definitely lost to a better team. That's the truth,” Noah said. “We lost to a better team. They had a lot of experience. They'd been playing together for a long time. But there was definitely positives out of it as well. We qualified for the Olympics. People in France were very proud of that team. Just the way we competed, people were proud of that. And we get to represent France for the Olympics and that's a big deal. French basketball is probably the fifth or sixth [most popular] sport out there. We just gave it a little light and people are happy about that."

Obviously, Noah is also glad to finally be in training camp after such a prolonged lockout.

"It's great," he said. "It feels so good to be back. We're a very hungry group. It's exciting to be just competing against one another. I think we kind of know what Thibs is asking, what he wants. We have our defensive principles, those aren't going to change too much. It's just exciting to be reunited and working."

Noah seems convinced that his team can take the next step in its development this season.

"We've experienced a lot when you talk about what we did last year," he said. "Coach always talks about going through the fire together and I think we did that last year, and I think it's going to help us. You learn from your experiences, good and bad, and that's what makes your unit stronger. At the same time, last year was last year. We're just staying focused on a good training camp and that's really it."

Brewer impresses Noah: Ronnie Brewer has been open about his desire to earn the starting two-guard spot during training camp and it's clear that he has impressed at least one of his teammates recently.

"I think Ronnie's playing really well right now," Noah said. "Carlos [Boozer] is looking really good, I think he's slimmed down a lot, lost like 15 pounds or something."

Noah believes his teammates have come back in pretty good shape -- and with a purpose.

"When you lose the way we lost in the playoffs last year, it just makes you hungry to work on your game and we all know what's at stake here," Noah said. "We just want to get better as a group and see how far we can take this."

Noah also praised the work ethic of Bulls rookie Jimmy Butler.

"He's a hungry kid," Noah said. "Very, very attentive. His defensive principles are really good for a rookie. When I was a rookie, I was completely lost out there. I had no idea what was going on. Everything was just so, so new to me. But he picks things up really, really fast and it's such a big learning curve. But, you see him right there, he's the last one in the gym, just trying to learn. That's a positive."

Bulls not affected by Paul decision: It felt like most NBA fans were up in arms Thursday night when word started trickling out that Commissioner David Stern had nixed the Chris Paul-to-the-Los Angeles Lakers trade. For their part, the Bulls didn't seem to care much about what had happened.

"That's all part of what goes on in the league," Thibodeau said. "Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don't. All I know is, for us, we have to play against him whether he's in New Orleans or some place else. He's a great player and that's about it, I really haven't thought about it that much."

Same goes for Noah.

"To be honest, I don't care," he said. "That has nothing to do with us, so whatever they do, they do. As long as it doesn't affect the Bulls, I don't really care."

The last word: Thibodeau, on the tempo of Saturday's practice, just the second of the Bulls' young season.

"It was pretty good in terms of energy. Still, [we've got] a long way to go. A little bit better. It moved a little bit better today than it did [Friday]. But defensively, there's a lot of things we have to clean up."

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Familiar sounds echoed in the Berto Center gym Friday night.

Carlos Boozer hollering, Tom Thibodeau teaching and the squeak-squeak-squeaking of fresh basketball shoes hitting the floor.

For basketball junkies, it was the sound of a season. Think Dr. Dre's long-awaited "Detox" album in high-tops.

While the confusing after-effects of the lockout and the ugliness of the Chris Paul situation resonated around the league, it was a business-like jam session on Day 1 for the Chicago Bulls, which return mostly intact from last year's 62-win team.

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NEW YORK -- The NBA postponed training camps indefinitely and canceled 43 preseason games Friday because it has not reached a new labor deal with players.

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Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson, who missed two games with a sore right heel, returned to practice on Monday.

However, according to multiple reports, shooting guard Kyle Korver became the latest Bull to sit out, missing practice due to a cyst on his ankle.

The Bulls finish their preseason schedule with games at Toronto on Wednesday and at home vs. Indiana on Friday.

CHICAGO -- Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah are better than any two players on the Toronto Raptors.

Not that we didn't already know that, but Tuesday's preseason contest reinforced the point as the pair combined for 39 points, 19 rebounds and 15 assists in a 109-90 cakewalk. That each player nearly rattled off a triple-double shouldn't come as that much of a surprise (even for Noah) when you consider that the Raptors look flat-out awful.

Aside from discovering how truly bad Toronto is going to be this season, here are a few more things we learned on Tuesday night:

Rose is really, really good: We already knew this one as well, but it's worth reiterating given the way the 22-year-old point guard played on Tuesday. He was dominant; penetrating and scoring almost at will. He drove to the basket and hit several jump shots that he probably wouldn't have made last season. He is really is getting better with every game, and it's noticeable to everybody, including his teammates.

"I think Derrick is somebody who really understands and really plays at a high level," Noah said. "It's going to get ugly, that's all I can say. His speed burst, nobody has a speed burst like him. The sky is really the limit for him. That's one of the reasons I'm so excited to be part of this team, because of him. I think the way he finishes at the rim for a point guard, there's really nobody who can, I don't remember a point guard finishing at the rim like that. Anybody, ever."

For his part, Rose thinks his improvements have come because of the extended amounts of time he's been on the floor.

"I'm more comfortable," he said. "I hope that you see that while I'm on the court. I guess it comes from years in the league, in pick and roll. I'm not thinking of anything if a guy comes toward me, wherever he's coming from, that's where the ball's going."

JOMER is working: The combination of having Noah and rookie forward Omer Asik on the floor continues to pay dividends. Asik had another solid game scoring nine points, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking three shots and, like Rose, he is improving every time he hits the court.

"He's playing great right now," Rose said. “He's doing exactly what we want him to do, go out there and play hard. If he can’t get the rebound or whatever, he's tipping it, so that the guards can get it and as long as he's playing hard, he's going to help this team.”

Watson is going to give the Bulls a spark: After last Tuesday night's game in Milwaukee, some Bulls fans were ready to write off C.J. Watson already. He played poorly, turned the ball over and couldn't find his shot. After sitting out the past few days with a sore quad, he came back with a vengeance on Tuesday. The backup point guard scored 12 points (5-of-7 from the field) and played much calmer in 19 minutes of action.

"C.J's a good player," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He's done a lot of good things in this league. He's practicing well, I think he's comfortable. We know he can score the ball ... he can put the ball in the basket and he's a pretty good defender."

Thibs isn't concerned about Noah's minutes:After struggling through most of last season because of plantar fasciitis, it was a little odd to see Noah logging 40 minutes in a preseason game. Rest assured Bulls fans, neither Noah or Thibodeau had a problem with the heavy minutes, although Thibodeau admitted he might have pushed things a little far for an exhibition.

"He probably played a few more minutes than I would have liked," the Bulls coach said.

Thibodeau wanted to get a look at a couple different matchups on the floor, including having Noah play at the four with Asik, hence the extension in minutes.

"I'm feeling pretty good," Noah said. "I don’t feel like I'm where I need to be and I understand that I'm going to be playing a lot, especially early. Actually, I'll be playing a lot for a long time. I'm just happy I can be out there and I feel pretty good."

Too early to pass judgement on Brewer: Ronnie Brewer only played 10 minutes in his preseason debut and scored just four points. He's still got time to earn his starting two-guard spot, but as he noted before the game, he'll try to fit into any role Thibodeau places him in, even if that means he comes off the bench.

"I would like to, but if it doesn't happen it's not the end of the world," he said before the game. "As long as you're competing at a high level and helping this team out any way, you should be satisfied. I think a lot of people's goals and mentality going into this season [is] you're going to put your ego back as long as you can go out there and try to help win games. And if that means me starting or me coming off the bench, I just want to go out there and help the team any way I possibly can."

CHICAGO -- With the rumors swirling, Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose didn't believe Joakim Noah would be traded as part of a deal for the Denver Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony.

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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Chicago Bulls guard Ronnie Brewer (sore hamstring) will make his preseason debut Tuesday against the Toronto Raptors.

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CHICAGO -- For the first time since training camp opened almost two weeks ago, Chicago Bulls guard Ronnie Brewer practiced without any restrictions.

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CHICAGO -- Omer Asik and Joakim Noah are slowly developing the type of bond that Tom Thibodeau envisioned when he announced that he would play the pair together in Carlos Boozer's absence.

After being outrebounded 96-62 over the first two preseason games, Asik and Noah combined for 21 of the Bulls 48 boards during Friday night’s 107-96 win over the Wizards.

While the pair still has plenty of kinks to work out, it's clear they are slowly figuring out how to play with one another. For Asik, he's also figuring out very quickly that Noah isn't like most of the other players he's played with in the past.

"He asked me for some gel the other day in the locker room," Noah said after Friday’s win. "I was like, ‘Come on, Omer, do I look like I wear gel?’ He started laughing."

While Asik, the team's 24-year-old Turkish project, continues to learn the ins-and-outs of an NBA locker room, it's clear after seeing him play this week that he is improving with every game. When he plays with Noah, the duo gives the team the type of monster presence that most teams can't match.

In short, JOMER (that's Asik and Noah's first names combined: pronounced "Jo-Mair") has a chance to be a beast down low this season for the Bulls.

"I felt good about that," Thibodeau said of the pair's presence on the floor. "I like the size, and Joakim has shown he can play the four. He gets you moving. Two seven-footers on the floor. The paint gets shut down, it gives you rebounding, and Joakim's a better shooter than most people realize."

The Bulls’ version of the "Twin Towers" lineup is already starting to appeal to Derrick Rose and the rest of his teammates.

"You saw it tonight," Rose said with a chuckle. "It's going to be crazy out there, especially when we get [Boozer] in the mix. Omer and Jo are going after everything. No matter how many fouls they get they're going to try to tip balls out to hustle. That's what we need on our team. We're just trying to be this grimy team where we don't care about our stats or anything. We're just trying to go out there and trying to win."

The jury is still out as to whether a lineup featuring Asik and Noah at the same time can do that, but Noah likes their chances, especially while the team waits for Boozer's broken right pinky to heal.

"I think we have the potential to do some good things together, but I think we need to do a better job in understanding what we need to do,” Noah said. “I messed up a couple of defensive schemes because I'm just used to doing what the five does, compared to what a four would do. So I just got to get more comfortable with that."

At times, Asik still looks lost on the floor, but Thibodeau is convinced that he is only going to get better as the games roll along.

"He's been terrific," Thibodeau said of Asik. "He's tough, he's got size. He's not afraid to mix it up inside. He's still learning as he goes, but he gives you great effort every day. He's got to continue to do that."

Despite the culture shock, the language barrier between Asik and his teammates isn't as big as you might think.

"It's funny," Noah said. "Because for somebody who acts like they don't speak English, he picks up on everything. If Coach is talking to him, he understands everything, a lot quicker than I do."

It's that work ethic that makes both Thibodeau and his players believe that Asik is going to be able to contribute quickly.

"He pick things up really fast," Noah said. "I think he's going to get better after every game. I think he helps me as well, just with his length and his physicality, just going up against somebody like that in practice every day, who's really hungry to get better every day. I think we're going to help each other."

If Friday night was any indication, Noah is exactly right.

CHICAGO -- After seven productive seasons in Chicago, it was understandably strange for Kirk Hinrich to walk into the visitor's locker room at the United Center.

"[I've] not ever seen it before," he said as his Wizards got ready to face the Bulls. "This is the first time. [It's] a little weird, but it was weird to put on this uniform the first time too, but I got over that. We're young, but we've got a lot of enthusiasm and guys are trying to do the right things."

Hinrich, who was traded earlier in the summer so that the Bulls could clear enough cap space to go after LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, has to be pleased with at least one aspect of playing with the Wizards -- the team's head coach, Flip Saunders, is actually saying his first name correctly. Former Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro repeatedly called the veteran guard, "Kurt" during press conferences.

"Some people just can't say it correctly, I guess," Hinrich joked.

Aside from the pronunciation change, Hinrich seems to be doing fine in his new role with the Wizards. He definitely misses Chicago, (in fact he still plans to live in the area during the offseason) but he has accepted the fact that the United Center is no longer his home.

Here are a few more of his thoughts prior to the game.

On being traded by the Bulls: "I was a little bit shocked. A little bit shocked. I don't know why, but for whatever reason it caught me off guard. Obviously, initially, you have mixed emotions and everything like that, but I was able to get over it fairly easily and realize I had an opportunity in front of me to have a fresh start out in Washington and it's been really good so far."

On Wizards rookie point guard, and number one pick, John Wall: "I think he has the ability to be a great player in this league. Already, he's proven that he's going to be pretty dang good right off the bat, and he's got that special type of athleticism you don't see very often at the point guard position."

On the similarities between Rose and Wall: "They're both a special type of athletes. Obviously, they're different, personalities and things like that, but it's still so early, it's hard to tell. Everybody asks me, ‘Compare the two, compare the two,’ but it's so early right now. John has the ability to definitely be a great player in this league."

Wall vs. Rose, part I: Speaking of Wall, he seemed excited about the chance to square off against Rose in a professional game.

"He's an All-Star-type player," Wall said of Rose, "So all I can do is try to hold my own against him and just keep getting better every game and prepare myself to get to the level he's at."

Like Rose did for the past two seasons, Wall said he has gotten a lot of advice from Hinrich over the past few weeks.

"They help me a whole lot," Wall said of Hinrich and fellow Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas. "Especially with my confidence, if I miss a couple shots they're telling me to keep it going. I'm learning as much as I can from Kirk, especially on the defensive end, he's a great guard, and how they guard the pick and roll very well."

Thibs isn't pleased with the rebounding: Coming into Friday's contest, the Bulls had been outrebounded 96-62 over the past two games. It's a number that new head coach Tom Thibodeau obviously isn't happy with and is trying to correct. When asked the reason the Bulls have been so bad, after the led the league in rebounding last season, he had this to say:

"Probably reaction to the ball, fight," he said. "When you look at the rebounding, I thought Joakim for his minutes rebounded extremely well. I thought Kurt [Thomas] did a really solid job on the boards, and [Omer] Asik was very good in short minutes. So, it's the same story, the more you go the more you get, right now we're standing and watching, not reacting. And the other problem [on Thursday], I thought as the game went on we started leaking out. We can't do that. We're small. We've got to be a gang rebounding team. If we don't rebound with all five, we'll have problems."

Injuries: Ronnie Brewer (sore hamstring) and C.J. Watson (sore quad) both sat out alongside Carlos Boozer (broken finger).

Nick Friedell took all of your questions on the Bulls and the NBA.

Chat wrap.

Each day as members of the Bulls file out of the Berto Center they have to trek past a black stanchion emblazoned with the team's logo and website. As soon as practice ends, coach Tom Thibodeau makes his way over to the area, which is located on the side of the gym, and briefs the assembled media on the day's events.

After the rest of the players finish up their drills, one or two of the most popular players (usually Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah) walk over and answer questions. If another player is needed, a reporter just grabs them on their way out, but most players just glide past the mob and ease into the serenity of the private locker room.

Throughout most of training camp, Luol Deng has done just that.

Everyone wants to talk to Rose and Noah, and before he got hurt, Carlos Boozer made a couple appearances in the media zone as well. That's why Deng seemed a little surprised when several media members made a request to speak to him last Sunday afternoon.

"You guys want to talk to me?" he said with a smile as he walked over to the side.

In many ways, the entire episode represented the way Deng, who scored eight points in the Bulls' 88-83 loss to the Mavericks on Thursday, is being portrayed on this Bulls team. He is the forgotten man. He is the man most fans wouldn't mind seeing leave town if it meant landing a superstar such as Carmelo Anthony in his place. He is the man fans have both loved and questioned, especially after he signed his $70 million deal a couple seasons ago.

Lost in all the questions surrounding Deng and his future in Chicago is this simple, undeniable fact: If the Bulls win this season, Deng is going to have to be a major reason for their success.

That's exactly the way he wants it.

After struggling to stay healthy over the past few years (he's missed 64 games over the past three seasons), Deng, 25, believes this season is going to be better.

"I feel great," he said recently. "I'm real happy that I got to play in the summer. Last year, with my injury, I didn't really play until training camp. This year I kind of came into training camp in better shape, from being healthy, that has meant a lot."

Deng spent a portion of the summer playing for Team Great Britain, as it prepares for the London Games in 2012. While that extra practice certainly helped, it seems that Thibodeau's new offense is going to help the veteran forward more than anything else. At times under Vinny Del Negro, Deng would disappear during games. He averaged almost 18 points last season, but there were plenty of times when he would score 10 or 12 in the first quarter and you wouldn't hear his name during the rest of the game.

Deng and Thibodeau believe that will change.

"I think my game is going to look a lot different," Deng said. "I think this offense allows me to move again. I'm moving, I'm cutting. This offense really fits well to all of us. A lot of times in the last few years I stood around a lot. The way we play now, it's a lot of movement and that's going to help all of us."

Thibodeau, who has gone out of his way to praise Deng several times since being introduced as coach earlier this summer, believes that Deng is only getting better.

"I think he is still on the way up," Thibodeau said. "I think he has shown that he is more than capable. He's had some really good years in the league. I think sometimes he goes under the radar a little bit and maybe you're not paying attention to him as much as you should, but I think he's a complete player. When I look at him, he rebounds, he plays defense, he runs the floor, he moves without the ball, he knows how to execute. He does all the things that I think help make your team better, and we want him to continue to do that."

Deng is looking forward to adding the constant motion back to his repertoire.

"That's my game," he said. "I'm excited even at practice. I've been doing a good job of it. I've been talking to [Thibodeau]. With the way we're playing, there's just so many different ways I can move without the ball. I find myself all over the floor, which is real good. It allows me to use my instincts and play."

Aside from the renewed motion, the newest wrinkle to Deng's game is the three-pointer. He is looking forward to showing people how much he has expanded his range over the summer. After connecting on only 49 threes over the past four seasons, the long-range shooting will be a welcome addition for a team that is always looking for more bombers.

"I'm going to shoot a lot more threes," he said. "Coach wants me to. I've been shooting a lot of threes in practice, but that's another thing with the offense; I'm finding a rhythm, finding myself in different spots, and the more we just keep practicing, the more I'm going to get the hang of it. We're starting to look better and better."

Thibodeau is encouraging Deng to take more open shots, but he doesn't want to change his game entirely.

"I don't want to take away from what his strengths are," Thibodeau said. "I think his versatility really is to run the floor, to move without the ball, his mid-range game, and now he's added that corner three, and he looks comfortable from the wings. So if he's open, and the ball's swung to him, I don't want him to hesitate on it. He's proven that he can make it, particularly from the corners.

"But I also don't want him to forget about attacking the basket; he puts a lot of pressure on people when he puts it on the floor. It's a way to get some easy scoring opportunities, and it gets your opponents into foul trouble, so that's what I want him to continue to do. But if he's open at the three, I don't want him hesitating."

After watching him work over the first couple weeks of camp, Deng's teammates are convinced that he will have a big season.

"I think Tibs is going to do wonders for Lu," Noah said. "I think the last couple years, Lu's job was just to shoot open jumpers. But I feel like his slashing is something we're definitely going to use more and his post-up abilities and things like that. So I think that Lu's somebody who is definitely flying under the radar, but he is somebody who's very motivated right now and playing very hard, and I think the new system is definitely going to help him."

After all the ups and downs he's had in Chicago, it's hard for Deng to believe that he is now the longest-tenured member of the team.

"It's a little weird," he said. "But it is what it is. I feel like guys like Joakim, Derrick, even though I've been here longer than them I feel like we've [all] been here just as long. But there's a lot of guys I've seen come and go."