Bulls' Tyrus Thomas questionable; so is 'flu'
For Tyrus Thomas, timing hasn’t been a strong suit during his three previous seasons in the NBA, and apparently that hasn’t changed this season.
Two days after not playing at all in the fourth quarter, a day after reportedly objecting to criticism from coach Vinny Del Negro during a film session and hours after the deadline passed for a possible contract extension, Thomas missed Tuesday’s shootaround with the “flu” and is questionable for tonight’s game with the Milwaukee Bucks.
(AP)
Perhaps it’s a legitimate illness – after all, this is prime cold-and-flu season – but the timing raises the question of whether it’s a case of the “blue flu.”
The suspicion was heightened when Del Negro acknowledged that he didn’t speak with Thomas before the shootaround and the decision to send the player home was made by trainer Fred Tedeschi.
“He came here this morning, I think, and then Fred saw him,” Del Negro said. “He didn’t feel very well, so he sent him home.”
Thomas has been frustrated about not playing late in games for a couple of days, although he hasn’t said anything publicly. He declined to comment after Sunday’s game in Miami and Monday’s practice at the Berto Center.
The chances of Thomas getting a contract extension – beginning next season – were almost nil from the start. Management wants to see improvement on the court before making a long-term commitment. Because no extension was reached, Thomas will become a restricted free agent next summer.
When asked if there was a chance Thomas could play against the Milwaukee Bucks tonight, Del Negro said: “I don’t know. We’ll get him in and see how he feels tonight.”
If he does play, though, he’ll be used off the bench with rookie Taj Gibson moving into the starting lineup.
“Taj is gonna start, no matter what,” Del Negro said. “Taj will start tonight and then we’ll go from there.”