The first six days of training camp were productive and mostly uneventful for the Bulls . They got into a regular routine and were able to focus on work with few distractions. That all ends today when the Bulls begin a whirlwind six-day stretch that certainly will disrupt the repetitive nature of training camp. After a practice this morning at the Berto Center, the Bulls were scheduled to fly to Indianapolis at 2 p.m. and play their first preseason game tonight against the Indiana Pacers.
They'll return home after the game, but it won't be much more than a layover. At 5 p.m. on Saturday, they fly to London, where they'll have two days of practices, clinics and other events before playing the Utah Jazz in a preseason game on Tuesday.
''With the time change, the jet lag and everything involved, you lose a little practice time,'' Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. ''We started [camp] a little bit earlier.
''I think it'll be a good time for the guys to get together and enjoy the trip. I know Luol's looking forward to it. We'll look at it as a positive and have our concentration down when we need to go to work.''
Forward Luol Deng, a native of the Sudan, spent much of his childhood in London after his family was granted political asylum in England. He recently became a British citizen and will serve as the team's unofficial host.
''I've never been before,'' guard Derrick Rose said. ''I'm excited to make my first trip over there. Joakim [Noah] and Lu always go over there, and I know they're gonna show me a good time over there.''
The trip, though, will be anything but a vacation for the Bulls . They're scheduled to arrive in London at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday, then will take an hour bus ride to the team hotel. The players will barely have enough time to grab a quick meal and unpack before they head to the practice court.
''I've talked to enough coaches that have done it, and I feel with the way our schedule is, let's get right to it, let's get the mind-set right on the trip,'' Del Negro said. ''Keep them up so they don't go right back to sleep and try to get adjusted to the time [change] as quickly as possible. We need to put the work in.''
The Bulls return to Chicago on Wednesday but don't return to the Berto Center court until Friday.
NOTE: The Bulls reduced their roster to 16 Thursday by waiving center Steven Hill, a 7-footer who played at Arkansas.
