--F John Salmons sat out the loss in Indiana with a groin strain, but he's proven to be a valuable addition for the Bulls. By averaging 18.7 points this season between the Bulls and Sacramento, the 6-foot-6 forward has become one of the league's most potent late bloomers. Only two other players in league history have averaged 18 or more points after taking at least six years to average double-figures for a full season -- Antoine Carr and George McCloud. "I'm a late bloomer," Salmons said. "Some guys, they get it early, some guys don't. I was one of those guys who got it late. I remember commentators saying, 'By your second or third year, you are what you are.' I knew I wasn't the player that I was then. I knew I could play better than I was playing. I just needed a chance to show it."
--F Tyrus Thomas is starting to develop a pretty good defensive resume. In combined blocked shots and steals, he's fourth in the league behind Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. Does he deserve consideration for the all-defensive team? "Honestly, I think I deserve a vote here and there," Thomas said. "I've guarded multiple positions. The statistics are there. I actually have set that as a goal, but I don't know what time that will come." --F Linton Johnson was let go Monday. He stuck with the team through a pair of 10-day contracts, but the Bulls declined to sign him for the remainder of the season.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's disturbing. We've been doing a poor job of closing games out all year. This was a game we definitely needed. It was definitely a winnable game. It was definitely disappointing." -- Guard Ben Gordon, after the Bulls couldn't hold an eight-point fourth-quarter lead and lost 107-105 at Indiana.
