Chicago Bulls Notes, Quotes 2009-12-02 News Chicago Bulls

--G Kirk Hinrich missed two months last season with a torn ligament in his right thumb that required surgery. So he's happy to learn there was no structural damage when he sprained his left thumb in a Nov. 25 practice. Hinrich has missed two games with the injury, but hopes to be back soon. He is expected to miss one or two weeks. "I was just swiping at the ball and hyper-extended it," he said. "It was sore that whole day and the next day, I woke up and it was swollen. I have the splint just to keep it from moving. Pretty much any movement, it gets very sore. I have trouble gripping anything, like tying shoes, opening bottles, things like that."

--With the Bulls missing guard Kirk Hinrich and forward Tyrus Thomas with injuries, they're scrambling to keep up with just 10 healthy players. Against Milwaukee on Monday, Luol Deng, John Salmons and Derrick Rose all played at least 43 minutes, with Deng topping out at 46. "I'm healthy, I feel great out there," Deng said after the game. "I didn't even know I (played that many)."

Another unusual development was veteran guard Lindsey Hunter, 38, playing 22 minutes off the bench. The offense just seemed to work better with Hunter in the game, even though he scored just five points. "I thought Lindsey was doing such a good job out there with his defensive assignment," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "The things that he did out there -- I just thought we had good momentum, so I wanted to stay with it."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I don't get into the circus trip, to be honest with you. The games are scheduled, you've got to go play them just like everyone else. We need to find ways to win more on the road. We need to get guys healthy." -- Coach Vinny Del Negro after the Bulls ended their annual November road trip, caused by the circus moving into the United Center, with five straight losses.

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