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CLEVELAND -- Just one day after Derrick Rose acknowledged fantasizing about playing with LeBron James, the reigning MVP returned the favor. James told reporters that he would like to play with Rose as well -- in the Olympics.

"Yeah, especially on the Olympics team," James said before Friday night's Bulls-Cavs game. "[Rose] did a great job [at the U.S.A's Olympic training camp] this past summer holding it down while some of the older guys [were] getting some rest.

"He's a great point guard. He's a great player. I love watching Derrick play, man. He's unbelievable. All he's going to do is continue to get better, with every game, with every practice. Hopefully, in the 2012 Olympics, hopefully he can be part of that team. And we can have some fun."

James said that Rose was mostly quiet while training with the other members of the U.S.A.'s senior men's national team.

"[He was] kind of just feeling his way out," James said. "Which I probably would have been also, being in that situation. I definitely would not have said much, just try to let my game do the talking so it's understandable."

James, who becomes a free-agent at the end of this season, has stated publicly that he will no longer discuss his contract situation until later this summer.

CLEVELAND -- When I asked Joakim Noah who was going to win the game on Saturday, he didn't even hesitate. He knew what I was referring to and it had nothing to do with the Bulls.

"Pssshh, It's not even a question," the University of Florida alum said. "Gator Boys."

Like so many other proud Gator fans, Noah will be cheering on Tim Tebow and company on Saturday when they face off against Alabama in the SEC Championship in Atlanta.

"I don't know what the score's going to be, but we're going to pull it out," Noah said. "A tough situation with [Carlos] Dunlap out, but I think we're going to get it done, man. This is what we've been waiting for a long time. The last 12 wins don't mean nothing. It's all about playing in those lights, man. And I think that Tebow and [Brandon] Spikes and everybody, I think they're all ready to play in the game."

Here are a few more Gator-related thoughts from one of the most recognizable Florida alums in the country:

Nick Friedell: How do you follow the games, especially a game like Saturday's, when you've got a game?

Joakim Noah: Well it [stinks], you know? But I am playing professional basketball and it's a business and it's just the way it is. I'll find out what the score is during the game.

NF: What is your favorite Tebow memory?

JN: My favorite Tebow memory ... I just miss going to The Swamp. And just watching those guys kick [butt]. My favorite Tebow memory would have to be ... I'll always remember his freshman year, like one of the first times he came into the game, I think it was against Kentucky, actually. And he made like a 50-yard run or something. And I was at The Swamp when he made that run his rookie year. And there was just so much hype about him, but he just came in and kicked [butt].

I loved his freshman year when it would be like third and inches or something and they'd put Tebow in the game and he would just always pick up that first down. I remember we had trouble with that the year before. We always had trouble picking up that first down. For me, when it was like third and inches with Tebow, you might as well just put it in the books, man. It's going to be a first down. So to me, those were my favorite memories from Tebow, just picking up those first downs on third and inches or third and one or third and two. He always found a way to get it. He was scrappy out there.

NF: Could he play basketball if he wanted to?

JN: I think he could play anything he wants. People always say that Tebow won't be a pro quarterback and there's a lot of doubters, but I think that his character's going to get him through so much. And I think he's going to become a very good quarterback in the NFL when he's done with anything. Because of his character and what he's made of. He's not going to let go. He's going to just keep fighting until he reaches his ultimate goal. I think that character means a lot in sports and I think that people underestimate that a lot. And I think that he got it.

CLEVELAND -- Joakim Noah's maturation process this season has been a talking point throughout the NBA.

Players and coaches throughout the league have gone out of their way to praise the third-year center from Florida and Cavs coach Mike Brown is no exception.

When I asked him what the biggest difference was between Noah's game this season and over his first two years, Brown mentioned the "m" word again.

"Just maturity," he said after the Cavs shootaround. "Not to say he was immature last year. We have that same process with a lot of our guys. When I say maturity I'm talking about his confidence level has grown tremendously. And you can just feel it when you watch him play. Offensively, defensively, you know that he knows that he has no questions in his mind. He knows he belongs.

"He knows what he's supposed to do to help his team win. And he's going to go get it done without any fear. You honestly can feel that on every play. Where last year as a young fella every once in a while, you could see just the look in his eye that he might not quite be sure at the moment what he should be doing, or where he should be going, or how it should be handled. But now going through the experiences he went through last year he's starting to blossom into a big-time player, at least the player that everybody thought he could be."

Brown takes blame: The Cavs coach also took the blame for his team's loss earlier this season to the Bulls.

"When we played Chicago early in the season, I still had no clue what I wanted to do," Brown said. "And because of that it had an affect on the players and me being discombobulated made our team discombobulated. Chicago had a lot to do with it, too, because they came in here and they were physical I didn't give our guys any help at all that game."

The Cavs have won 10 of their past 12 games since the Nov. 5 defeat.

Hinrich still out: No news to report on Kirk Hinrich. The Bulls guard, who has been out with a sprained thumb for the past week, will not play Friday night. There is still a chance he will play on Saturday.

"Let's see how he feels before tonight's game," Del Negro said. "How he feels [Saturday] and then well just make a decision. Really, it comes down to when he's comfortable. I know he wants to play and he wants to be out there, it's just that thumb issue is difficult to deal with."

The last word: Brown, while discussing the Random Act of Shaqness earlier today when O'Neal tweeted that he had left a signed Sports Illustrated in a local market for a lucky fan to find: "Hopefully, he won't tweet next time. Hopefully, he'll just e-mail [the location] to my Blackberry, and I'll have at least a head start on everybody else."

CLEVELAND -- Jannero Pargo is back with the Chicago Bulls and ready to play Friday night against the Cavaliers.

The veteran guard rejoined the team in Cleveland on Friday, just one day after flying to Philadelphia to see a hip specialist. Pargo has battling hip and back problems all season, but "a lot better" and is confident he can play.

"[We] didn't really get anything figured out," Pargo said after the team's shootaround. "But we decided we're going to medicate and continue to do rehab for a couple more weeks and hopefully get better.

"If not, then it will force some other options."

Pargo is averaging five points a game this season.

CLEVELAND -- Is Tyrus Thomas really headed out of town?

That's what a lot of Bulls fans are wondering today after a report from Yahoo! Sports which states that Chicago general manager Gar Forman has been floating Thomas' name in possible deals, including one to the Knicks with the expiring contract of Jerome James in return for Al Harrington, whose $10 million contract would come off the books at the end of the season.

The news shouldn't come as a shock to anyone who has followed the Bulls over the past couple years. Since the they drafted Thomas, he has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career. But he's also shown the propensity to take plays off and still hasn't been able to realize his potential.

As several reports have pointed out, the Bulls now have a cheaper option in first-round pick Taj Gibson. The coaching staff loves him because of his work ethic and his commitment to defense. He has played well since taking Thomas' spot in the lineup and it will be interesting to see if Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro keeps his starting role if and when Thomas recovers from his broken forearm.

The Bulls miss Thomas' athletic presence on the floor, as Del Negro continually points out, but the organization hasn't been willing to commit to him.

The deadline for 2006 draft picks to sign with their current teams came and went earlier this season without a new agreement for Thomas.

Count me in the group that wouldn't be surprised if Thomas was playing somewhere else in the next month or two.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Jannero Pargo missed the Bulls practice on Thursday afternoon because he had to go to Philadelphia for a doctor's appointment. The veteran guard has been battling various injuries throughout the year.

"Jannero has had some hip problem. Some tightening of the back and hip. It's been bothering him since the beginning [of the season]," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said after practice. "He's in Philadelphia today seeing a specialist and trying to figure out exactly what it is so we can do the correct therapy."

"He's been fighting through it with the lack of bodies we've had, and I appreciated that, but we need to get him healthy and feeling better when he gets out there. When he starts to run it just locks up on him. And if we can find a way to obviously help that, he'll feel better when he's out there. He'll be more productive and more helpful."

Pargo is averaging five points a game this season.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Kirk Hinrich may be coming back to the Chicago Bulls sooner than expected.

The veteran guard, who was scheduled to miss between one to two weeks because of a sprained thumb, is improving quickly. He might even be able to play this weekend.

Read full story.

CHICAGO -- Vinny Del Negro stood at the center of the usual pre-game press gathering on Wednesday night and pondered a question that he never had to think about before: The Bulls knew how to stop Ben Gordon, right?

"No", Del Negro replied, causing an awkward chuckle from the assembled press corps. "Ben's an excellent player. We know that. And he can score the basketball. He does a lot of good things on the court. But, it's a team defense. We got to get up on him. We know he can shoot the ball. We got to make him put it on the ground. Our rotations have to be good -- our transition defense and turnovers and just playing sound tonight is going to be very key for us."

Del Negro must have been pleasantly surprised after the game considering the Bulls basically shut Gordon down. He missed 10 shots and managed only 18 points on the night. In truth though, Del Negro knows his team caught a break. Gordon wasn't close to 100 percent after missing the past two games with a sprained ankle.

"There's no question he was hobbling a little bit with the ankle tonight," Del Negro said. "You could see that, but coming back here I'm sure he wanted to play well and didn't want to miss the game. But Ben can put the ball in the basket we know that. And he can do it in bunches, so were fortunate we were had a good enough lead at the end there."

What was far more surprising to some in attendance was the way Gordon was received when he came into the game for the first time. The shooting guard who made a name for himself during five years in Chicago was getting booed by the same people who used to adore him.

Sure, some people cheered, but the boos picked up a little more throughout the game. They didn't like it that the shooting guard signed a big free agent contract with the Pistons over the summer.

"It was kind of weird a little bit," Joakim Noah said of the reception the fans gave his former teammate. "I thought he would get a little more love than that, but it is what it is. I think he's definitely someone that did a lot for this ballclub, who brought a lot of happiness in this building. But at the same time, fans will be fans."

Gordon knows that, but you've got to think it still bothered him a little bit.

"It was boos so I wasn't surprised," he said. "I kind of expected that, seeing past players come back after going to another team. It is what it is. It's not like I won the championship while I was here or anything. I just had a couple good years so I wasn't surprised at all."

Despite the boos, there were people at the United Center who were excited to see the former Bull.

"Me personally, I was happy to see him before the game and after the game," Noah said. "He's somebody I had a lot of fun with while playing with him. I appreciate everything he did for this organization. And that playoff series [against Boston], obviously meant a lot to me personally. I really appreciate being a part of that. He was a big part of it and it was just good to see him."

For his part, Gordon didn't sound very emotional about the homecoming.

"I had already moved forward," he said. "This was just another game for me. It wasn't really that big of a deal. I moved on a long time ago. I have no bitter feelings towards the Bulls. I did what I had to do. It's just part of the business."

CHICAGO --When Ben Gordon left town this summer, a lot people wondered whether John Salmons could fill his shoes. He did just that Wednesday night, pulling off the type of hot shooting streak typified by his former teammate.

Salmons paced the Chicago Bulls with 22 points as the Bulls knocked off the Detroit Pistons 92-85, snapping a five-game losing skid in the process.

"It's just good to get a win, period," Salmons said after the game. "It's good to be home. It's good to play in front of our home crowd. It's a good win for us."

After finishing off the circus trip with five straight losses, the Bulls were in desperate need of a victory, and Salmons helped them earn it. He shot 7-for-12 from the field and hit three of his four 3-pointers.

"I thought John did a nice job," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "He shot it better. He was attacking. He took a couple early jumpers and was off, then he got off the dribble and started attacking a little bit better. We need him to score. We need him to play well. I think his defense picked up a little bit tonight, which was a good sign."

Defense was always the difference between Salmons' and Gordon's games -- Salmons usually played it, Gordon sometimes didn't. And on this night, the Chicago D combined to stop the Bulls' former teammate while the spotlight was fixed in his direction.

Gordon was just 6-for-16 from the floor, leading the Pistons with 18 points.

"I was just trying to be aggressive on him and make sure I just remember him so many times just rising up after that pick-and-roll," Bulls center Joakim Noah said. "So I was just trying to stay there a little bit longer, just making sure that John [Salmons] could recover a little quicker, and I think he did a great job on him tonight."

Salmons got the best of Gordon in Wednesday's matchup. He gave Bulls fans hope that he might be the one who steps up his game a little more and starts patching the scoring hole the team hasn't filled since Gordon left.

But even Salmons wishes the sharpshooter from UConn were still on his team.

"It's better to play with him than against him, I'll tell you that," Salmons said. "I was telling [assistant coach] Randy Brown, talking about having to chase him around all game. A tough guard. He's a good player."

When he wants to be, Salmons proved that he is, too.

CHICAGO -- Ben Wallace has a message for Ron Artest: Don't mess with me.

The Pistons center made that clear Tuesday night when he was asked about some of the remarks Artest made about him during a recent interview with Sporting News regarding the pair's infamous brawl at The Palace in Auburn Hills back in 2004.

"I see Ben, I'm on my guard now," Artest said during the interview, "I'm always in the mood to fight him … I'll get suspended 10 games, 15 games [because] I'll just fight him right there. It won't go into the stands."

In the same interview, Artest also went on to describe how he used to drink at halftime while he was playing with the Bulls.

"He said he wants to fight me?" Wallace asked reporters before the Pistons-Bulls game.

"Yeah," a reporter responded.

"Well, [you] need to test him and see if he's still drinking," Wallace said.

Wallace was more forthcoming about the comments than he had been earlier in the day when a reporter asked him if he wanted another round with Artest.

"[Do we have] anything else to talk about?" the Pistons center responded. "[I don't want to] waste my time talking about Ron Artest."

CHICAGO -- Brad Miller is not Ben Gordon.

That was painfully clear on Monday night in Milwaukee when the veteran center missed a shot at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime. In years past, it was a shot that Gordon almost certainly would have taken.

It was a situation that the coaching staff didn't necessarily have to worry about. When the clock was running down and the game was on the line, Gordon was the man the Bulls almost always turned to. Sometimes he hit the shot, sometimes he didn't, but he was there.

Now he's not.

Now he takes those shots for the Pistons. On Wednesday, the Bulls will get their first look at the man who used to fill the role that they haven't been able to fill.

"It's going to be a different thing," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said after Tuesday's practice, while describing how the Bulls are still trying to fill Gordon's late-game shoes. "[Monday night] it was Brad Miller. Derrick [Rose], obviously has done it. John Salmons, Luol [Deng]. It's a collective effort there to do that.

"We haven't had too many close games in a while, so that hasn't been one of the issues. I feel very comfortable and confident with guys. When Kirk [Hinrich come back from an injury], he's capable of doing things. We have enough weapons to be able to make shots at the end. It's just a matter of setting better screens, better spacing, executing. That hopefully will come as we stay together."

Del Negro can hope for all the best, but for the time being, the answer is obvious: The Bulls miss Ben Gordon, especially late in games, and the sharpshooter knows it.

"I don't think so," Gordon said, when I asked him on Wednesday morning if the Bulls had been able to replace him as the go-to guy late in games. "I've watched a few games and at the end, especially with the addition of D-Rose a year ago, there were two guys that could make big, big shots. And now it looks like it's only him.

"John can make big shots and Luol can make big shots, but I think last season, the team relied on me and D-Rose a lot to kind of make plays down the stretch, so it looks like it's just him right now, but I'm sure they'll be fine with the guys they have in place."

For his part, Rose has said repeatedly that he doesn't mind being the guy the Bulls go to down the stretch.

"Definitely," Rose said. "[On Monday against Milwaukee] if their big guy, [Andrew] Bogut, wasn't on me, I was going to take that shot, but he stood in the lane and forced me to pass that ball."

Only time will tell whether Rose ends up filling Gordon's shoes, but as of now, it's clear that the Bulls are still looking for a new guy to step up down the stretch.

"He's definitely a helluva scorer," Noah said on Tuesday, when I asked him if the team misses Gordon. "And somebody we counted on a lot so we just got to make the adjustment. I don't think we're definitely not there yet. And we miss his scoring, but it's not an excuse. We definitely have enough to win basketball games, I think."

The thing is, with Gordon the Bulls didn't really have to think. He was the man they looked to late in games. He is the man they still haven't figured out a way to replace.

CHICAGO -- During Ben Gordon's five-year tenure with the Chicago Bulls, he always was one of the most polarizing athletes in town. People either loved him, and his ability to make clutch shots, or they couldn't stand him because of his shot selection and periodic defense.

So it's no surprise that Gordon himself isn't sure whether he will be cheered or booed tonight in his first game back at the United Center, this time as a member of the Pistons.

"I don't know," he said after Wednesday morning's shootaround, when asked if he thought he would be cheered. "I would hope so, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were some boos. But, we'll see what happens."

Derrick Rose is looking forward to the atmosphere that his former teammates arrival will bring, but he has the same mindset that Gordon appears to have when it comes to fans' possible reactions.

"It's going to be crazy," Rose said after Tuesday's practice. "It's going to be kind of weird playing against him [Wednesday], but our fans are die-hard Bulls fans, so I don't think it's going to be a cheerful crowd [Wednesday] for Ben Gordon."

Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro is hoping for the best when it comes to how his former player is received.

"I think the fans will treat Ben well," Del Negro said Tuesday. "He's our rival now but he put in a lot of strong years here for the Bulls, and I know the fans appreciate that. But our focus is not Ben, it's the Pistons in general, as a team."

Joakim Noah isn't really sure which way the reaction toward Gordon will go.

"I have no idea how they're going to treat him," he said. "It's an exciting game, it's a must-win. It feels good to be back at home. We haven't won in a while so we just got to go in and give it everything we got."

But Noah did admit a few moments later that he hops Gordon gets to feel some love.

"I think he deserves all the respect in the world," the Bulls center said. "He obviously did a lot for the Bulls. He competed every night. He was one of the best scorers that ever wore the jersey.I think we wouldn't have been in the situation we were in last year if it wasn't for that guy hitting big shot after big shot.

"Just an unbelievable talent. He's somebody who put in a lot of time. In the summertime, I've never seen a guy work out the way he worked out," Noah said. "He'd be in here like three to four times a day in the Berto Center shooting jump shots. Having a guy work out with him. I've never seen somebody with such a work ethic. So, I think when somebody works that hard he deserves all the credit in the world."

No matter what happens, Gordon is looking forward to playing in the building he used to call home, and seeing some of his former teammates.

"It will be good to see them," Gordon said. "I'm looking forward to it."

So are the fans. For one reason or another.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Derrick Rose recently vowed that he wasn't going to cut his hair until he started playing better. On Tuesday, he changed his tune a little bit. But, it's easy to understand why.

Rose, who won an online poll as the sexiest athlete in Chicago, was scheduled to receive the award later Tuesday night from Victoria's Secret supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio.

"I have to get my hair cut," the reigning rookie of the year said before catching himself. "Not my hair cut, a touch up and stuff like that, and try to go there and look handsome."

It's hard to blame Rose for his decision to freshen up his 'do. If the average fan was making an appearance with one of the most beautiful people in the world, they would probably be doing the same thing. The Bulls point guard was just happy to have won the award.

"This is something Ill be telling my kids," he said happily. "Fussing at my nieces and nephews about."

As is the case with Chicago politics, questions surrounded Rose's victory. Apparently, Blackhawks right winger Patrick Sharp thought he had received more votes in the online poll. When told that Sharp may be looking for Rose in the future, the 21 year-old laughed.

"I hope not," he said. "Hockey players are kind of physical and feisty, so I hope theres nothing like that."

The funniest part of Rose's impromptu press conference was when he revealed that Joakim Noah had stolen the the "Sexy" jersey that Marisa Miller presented to him earlier this year.

"Joakim was hating on me from the beginning since Marisa [Miller] came up here," Rose explained.

Of course, Noah denied the charge and didn't even seem happy when it was revealed to him that the Bulls had also been voted the sexiest team in Chicago.

"I dont really care right now," he said. "We just lost six in a row. It's not about sexiness right now."

Noah's got a point, but as everyone around him noted, the losing streak is only at five right now. At least the team's "sexiest" victory gives a few members of the organization something to be happy about.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- The circus has finally left Chicago and as usual the Bulls couldn't be happier.

They left town on Nov. 16 feeling pretty good about themselves. They had a 5-4 record and things appeared to be coming together. The Bulls were playing well defensively, Joakim Noah was becoming a double-double machine and things were looking up for Vinny Del Negro & Co.

Fast-forward two weeks, and you realize that the annual journey across the country revealed some major flaws. After knocking off Sacramento on Nov. 17, the Bulls have dropped five straight, and now find themselves with a 6-9 record. So what did we learn? Here are four revelations:

1. The Bulls don't have the talent to match up with the elite teams in the Western Conference: Del Negro's team was beaten soundly by the Lakers, Nuggets, Blazers and Jazz. The Bulls just didn't match up well with the top teams on the road. The difference was apparent to anyone watching the games, even the Bulls themselves.

"It's unbelievable," Noah said after the Lakers game. "There's nobody you can really help off of. They just made it look really easy. It was like an exhibition out there. It felt like a varsity team compared to a JV team. I was tired as hell, and I was looking around on the court and nobody from the Lakers even broke a sweat."

2. The Bulls miss Ben Gordon: The Bulls have a hard time scoring points without Gordon in the lineup. His shot selection and defense were always debatable, but you could always pencil him in for 20 points a night. Luol Deng, John Salmons and Derrick Rose have tried to fill that void but, aside from Deng, they haven't shown they can consistently score every night. The Bulls may be a better defensive team without Gordon, but when they play teams that can score at will (like the Lakers and Nuggets), Gordon's absence becomes even more apparent.

3. Opposing big men own the paint: Noah spent the summer bulking up, and he has had a great season, especially on the offensive end. But he had a tough time guarding several big men on the trip. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bogut (both of whom were returning from injury) lit the Bulls up for huge games.

"I have to do a better job guarding my player," Noah said after the Milwaukee game. "I feel like the bigs are getting their way offensively with us, and we just got to find a way to do a better job ... my post defense is suspect right now."

Noah can't be the lone person taking blame here. He is only one of the big men the team can turn to and the only true rebounding threat on the squad. Brad Miller is averaging just four rebounds a game and doesn't always seem to be as eager to crash the boards.

4. Lack of depth: There's no question that the injury bug has hurt the Bulls. Tyrus Thomas (forearm) and Kirk Hinrich (thumb) have been sorely missed. But Del Negro's decision to keep a small rotation may end up burning the Bulls later in the season.

Obviously, he doesn't have a lot of confidence in rookie James Johnson and until Monday night in Milwaukee, Lindsey Hunter hadn't really seen any significant action all season. With Thomas and Hinrich out, Del Negro would be wise to spread out his minutes and see what the end of his bench can do.

Obviously, the team is glad that the trip is over, but the reactions varied as everybody headed home from Milwaukee on Monday night.

Del Negro: "I don't get into the circus trip to be honest with you. The games are scheduled, you got to go and play them. I don't get into all that mental stuff that you guys get into. I just know the games are scheduled. We got to go and play them just like everybody else. Whether it's a circus trip or any trip you want to call it, we have to find ways to win more on the road. And we need to get some guys healthy and hopefully the home court will give us a little bit of an advantage to get over the hump."

Rose: Glad the trip is over? "Yeah, to tell you the truth. Yeah. But, we're still supposed to have this game [Monday night]. We let it slip. Hopefully, next time we play them, we attack [earlier]."

Noah: "I'm just looking forward to the next game. Yeah, I guess I'm happy the circus is out of town. It's going to be exciting to play in our building for a little bit."

Deng: "To be honest with you, it felt like [the trip] was over in Utah. This [Milwaukee game] really didn't feel like part of the trip. We didn't do too well on the trip, but it's still a long season, but I'm just glad we played a lot harder. As long as we give ourselves a chance in a game."

At times, the Bulls looked flat and lacked energy during this trip.

"We got to play way more aggressive," Rose said after practice on Tuesday. "We got to be the aggressor in situations. We can't just wait for teams to start playing hard and then we pick it up. We got to start from the beginning and push people around."

That's a good goal to have, but for the time being the only people who got pushed around while the circus was in town were the Bulls.

As usual.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- The Bulls trip up to Milwaukee has a bit of a high school feel to it.

After a mid-afternoon shootaround at the Berto Center, the team got on a chartered bus for the short drive into Wisconsin. As soon as the game ends, the players will get right back on the bus and head home. For 21-year-old point guard Derrick Rose, the trip reminds him a little of his earlier days on the summer hoops circuit.

"Like an AAU trip or something like that," he said after shootaround. "Just going and busing to a game is kind of unusual, but playing here and doing that a lot last year, I got used to it."

Most NBA teams prefer to stay in the city they are playing in at least one night before the game, but since Milwaukee and Chicago are so close, there are other options. While some of his players may be reminiscing about the good old days, Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro just wants them treat this as a business trip.

"High school? I can't remember high school," he said when asked if the trip reminded him of the past. "No, It's an NBA game no matter what records are. Whatever, it doesn't matter. What matters is you better come ready to play with energy and some toughness and execute game plans."

The Bulls must find a way to come up with some extra energy, considering they will be playing with an even shorter bench now that Kirk Hinrich (thumb) has joined Tyrus Thomas (forearm) on the inactive list. The team will be looking to snap a four game losing skid.

"I expect us to play better tonight and we'll see how it goes," Del Negro said. "It's unfortunate with Tyrus [Thomas] and Kirk being out, so we'll just have to manage without them right now."

Del Negro acknowledged that the team may look a little different tonight against the Bucks.

"You might see some different lineups, just depending on foul trouble and match-ups and what set of guys is playing well and can take advantage of certain things at both ends," he said. "Whatever gives us the best opportunity to put ourselves in an opportunity to win on the road we want to do that."

That is a statement that any high school coach could be proud of.