--Indiana's Jim O'Brien coached John Salmons in Philadelphia during the 2004-05 season and offered praise for the late-blooming Bulls forward, who has averaged close to 20 points per game since arriving in a trade from Sacramento. "I thought the trade that the Bulls orchestrated to get Brad Miller and John Salmons was the best trade of the year," O'Brien said. "My hat is off to (Bulls general manager) John Paxson. He hits big shots. I liked John a lot in Philadelphia, but he has grown his game and confidence magnificently over the last several years. He's shown he's a starter in this league and can do some big things. I'm happy for him. He's a good kid."
--The Bulls have plenty of young athletic players, so logging extended minutes hasn't been a big deal. But there are days like Sunday, when the Bulls are playing back-to-back games, when a little more bench help might be useful. Coach Vinny Del Negro usually sticks with a seven-man rotation, with eighth man Tim Thomas playing limited minutes when healthy. Against the Raptors, forward Linton Johnson got a five-minute run because forward John Salmons got into foul trouble in the first half. "I'd like to get some guys' minutes down," Del Negro said. "But if they have to play a few more minutes to give us a chance to win, then they have to go do their job."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We had fought back so much that we were kind of just going on adrenaline. In overtime we just weren't able to make the plays to win the game." -- Guard Ben Gordon, after the Bulls lost in overtime at Toronto 134-129 on Sunday.
