"I just wanted to tell him I appreciate him and what he stands for as a coach," Noah said. "I’ve been a fan of his for a really long time, even though I loved the Knicks as a kid and he used to kick the Knicks’ ass.

"My father always made me read his books. I read ‘Sacred Hoops.’ And one of the books he used to make his players read, ‘The Peaceful Warrior’ by Dan Millman, my father made me read that when I was younger. I just wanted to share that with him.

"(Bulls director of player development) Randy Brown tells me stories about Phil and everything I hear about him is just so positive. I wanted to tell him I was a fan of his."

I know there is some concern about Derrick Rose and how his numbers are down, but it’s way too early to worry about him. We all knew coming into the season that he was dealing with a bum ankle. It’s just a matter of when it is going to get better for him. No one knows how much pain or discomfort, if any, he’s experiencing right now. It takes time to get through some injuries and you have to remember he missed almost the entire preseason. Derrick is determined to play through it and he’s going to have some up and down games. In this game and in this league, there is not a whole lot of time for recovery. But I don’t think he’s playing bad basketball. He’s doing what he has to do to get through this rough start and he puts his team first. Meanwhile, they’ve still managed to win some games despite Derrick not being at his best. He probably could be a little more assertive on the offensive end and Derrick knows that. He’ll get there. He’s also getting better defensively. He’s a big, strong kid who isn’t afraid to go inside and mix it up and come away with some rebounds. That’s his game and those things will come in time as he builds up his confidence in terms of his ankle.

Michael Jordan reportedly sighted in Orem for 1-on-1 challenge

Jordan Vs Russell pt..

Chris (Aurora, IL)

I'm beginning to think you know nothing about my Bulls.
John Hollinger (3:00 PM)

I know that the lack of outside shooting is killing them, that they'll probably play better in the second half of the season one Derrick Rose's ankle is up to snuff, and that Kirk Hinrich can't possibly be as awful as he's looked so far.