Is Kurt Hienrich playing for Bulls tonight?
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Chandler: Playing with Pip 'an honor'
Bulls coach Scott Skiles said Thursday he was unsure how much of Scottie Pippen's number-retirement ceremony his players will be able to watch tonight.
But center Tyson Chandler, a teammate of Pippen's on the 2003-04 Bulls, hopes to see it.
"It was an honor for me to be able to play with him and learn things from the little time I spent with him,'' Chandler said. "Just being in the presence of a player like that, of his magnitude and the things he accomplished in the league, is a learning experience in itself.
"I loved watching Scottie because of what he did all over the floor. To me, he still today is what you would say a small forward is supposed to be. Everybody patterned their game after what he did. When you think of small forward, you think of Scottie Pippen.''
Pippen will become the fourth Bulls player to have his jersey number retired during a ceremony at halftime of the team's game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The banner bearing No. 33 will join those honoring Jerry Sloan (No. 4), Bob Love (No. 10) and Michael Jordan (No. 23) in the United Center rafters.
"It is something that you dream of happening to you,'' Pippen said. "I have to rank it among the top individual honors that I have ever achieved.''
Honoring Pippen tonight allows Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who coached Pippen and Jordan to six NBA championships, to be present. Jackson had his banner ceremony in 1999. Jordan, Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman are among the former teammates also expected to attend.
Former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, whose banner was the last to be raised at the UC in 2003 and the man who traded for Pippen, likely will be part of the ceremony, which will extend the intermission to 25 minutes.
GUARDED OPTIMISM: Kirk Hinrich took part in the Bulls' 90-minute practice Thursday after missing their victory Wednesday at Orlando because of a concussion suffered Monday during a loss to Dallas.
"Kirk looked like Kirk,'' Skiles said. "I don't know if he's all the way back to normal, but very close. He's probable for [tonight].''
Ben Gordon, who started in place of Hinrich on Wednesday, did not practice Thursday because of a right knee injury he suffered against the Magic.
Gordon, who had his knee wrapped in ice and was scheduled to have an MRI taken later Thursday, did not sound optimistic that he could play tonight.
"It's sore and it swelled up [Wednesday night],'' he said. "If it doesn't get any better, I would say I wouldn't be able to play. We'll get the MRI and see what's going on with it.''
MORE TESTS: Chandler also had a medical appointment scheduled for Thursday afternoon to visit a pulmonary specialist for tests on his lungs. He has been battling shortness of breath and fatigue for more than a month and was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia Nov. 21 and prescribed medicine.
"I'm definitely looking forward to getting to the doctor and making sure it's nothing other than what we already knew,'' said Chandler, whose condition limited his playing time to five minutes Wednesday. "They tell me it's going to take time to heal. Eventually, the medications will start kicking in, hopefully. As of now, I'm still going through the same symptoms and the same tough breathing.''
Skiles has downplayed Chandler's condition whenever asked about it.
"He looks the same to me as the day I got here,'' Skiles said. "I know he's going today to get a further checkup, so maybe we can get some clarity to it. That would be nice. Three games ago, he played 40 minutes at Boston, so it seems to be a game-by-game, day-by-day thing.
"I never worry too much about any of that stuff. I try not to focus on guys who can't play. If guys aren't there on a given night, you have to roll on.''
Asked if Skiles' matter-of-fact approach to his problem bothered him, Chandler said: "I could care less. I've got to worry about my health. I know what I'm capable of doing. ... I'm not soft or anything like that. I haven't been feeling good for a long time.''
Bulls coach Scott Skiles said Thursday he was unsure how much of Scottie Pippen's number-retirement ceremony his players will be able to watch tonight.
But center Tyson Chandler, a teammate of Pippen's on the 2003-04 Bulls, hopes to see it.
"It was an honor for me to be able to play with him and learn things from the little time I spent with him,'' Chandler said. "Just being in the presence of a player like that, of his magnitude and the things he accomplished in the league, is a learning experience in itself.
"I loved watching Scottie because of what he did all over the floor. To me, he still today is what you would say a small forward is supposed to be. Everybody patterned their game after what he did. When you think of small forward, you think of Scottie Pippen.''
Pippen will become the fourth Bulls player to have his jersey number retired during a ceremony at halftime of the team's game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The banner bearing No. 33 will join those honoring Jerry Sloan (No. 4), Bob Love (No. 10) and Michael Jordan (No. 23) in the United Center rafters.
"It is something that you dream of happening to you,'' Pippen said. "I have to rank it among the top individual honors that I have ever achieved.''
Honoring Pippen tonight allows Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who coached Pippen and Jordan to six NBA championships, to be present. Jackson had his banner ceremony in 1999. Jordan, Horace Grant and Dennis Rodman are among the former teammates also expected to attend.
Former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, whose banner was the last to be raised at the UC in 2003 and the man who traded for Pippen, likely will be part of the ceremony, which will extend the intermission to 25 minutes.
GUARDED OPTIMISM: Kirk Hinrich took part in the Bulls' 90-minute practice Thursday after missing their victory Wednesday at Orlando because of a concussion suffered Monday during a loss to Dallas.
"Kirk looked like Kirk,'' Skiles said. "I don't know if he's all the way back to normal, but very close. He's probable for [tonight].''
Ben Gordon, who started in place of Hinrich on Wednesday, did not practice Thursday because of a right knee injury he suffered against the Magic.
Gordon, who had his knee wrapped in ice and was scheduled to have an MRI taken later Thursday, did not sound optimistic that he could play tonight.
"It's sore and it swelled up [Wednesday night],'' he said. "If it doesn't get any better, I would say I wouldn't be able to play. We'll get the MRI and see what's going on with it.''
MORE TESTS: Chandler also had a medical appointment scheduled for Thursday afternoon to visit a pulmonary specialist for tests on his lungs. He has been battling shortness of breath and fatigue for more than a month and was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia Nov. 21 and prescribed medicine.
"I'm definitely looking forward to getting to the doctor and making sure it's nothing other than what we already knew,'' said Chandler, whose condition limited his playing time to five minutes Wednesday. "They tell me it's going to take time to heal. Eventually, the medications will start kicking in, hopefully. As of now, I'm still going through the same symptoms and the same tough breathing.''
Skiles has downplayed Chandler's condition whenever asked about it.
"He looks the same to me as the day I got here,'' Skiles said. "I know he's going today to get a further checkup, so maybe we can get some clarity to it. That would be nice. Three games ago, he played 40 minutes at Boston, so it seems to be a game-by-game, day-by-day thing.
"I never worry too much about any of that stuff. I try not to focus on guys who can't play. If guys aren't there on a given night, you have to roll on.''
Asked if Skiles' matter-of-fact approach to his problem bothered him, Chandler said: "I could care less. I've got to worry about my health. I know what I'm capable of doing. ... I'm not soft or anything like that. I haven't been feeling good for a long time.''
off local radio....(as in above post)
Ben Gorden will not play due to a strained ligament in his right knee.
Ben Gorden will not play due to a strained ligament in his right knee.
