Luol Deng says he had a feel for the Game

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Bulls backup center Omer Asik battles for a rebound with Cory Higgins (left) and DeSagana Diop. | Chuck burton~AP

Updated: March 12, 2012 8:08AM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Luol Deng wasn’t that surprised when he was named to his first All-Star Game on Thursday night.

“I had a feeling,” Deng said. “I don’t know why. I was still surprised to see that I made it. This year kind of felt different, going into it. There have been a few years where I thought I might make it. This year, for some reason, I thought it was going to happen.”

Deng is the Bulls’ second-best player but is often overlooked because he does so many things well that no one thing stands out. While he might not be as well known to fans, the NBA coaches who voted for him to be an Eastern Conference reserve know just how important he is to the Bulls.

“I’ve always gotten a lot of compliments [from] coaches around the league who appreciate the way I play,” he said. “To me, my coaches, my teammates and people who know the game, they see it. I’m not so much caught up in people who do not know the game who just want to see the flashiness.”

Deng said coach Tom Thibodeau and his staff, along with Derrick Rose, have made it easier for him to excel. Staying healthy has been a plus, as well. Although he did tear a ligament in his left wrist earlier this season, causing him to miss seven games, he has avoided the type of injuries that resulted in him missing extended periods earlier in his career.

He said sitting out the Bulls’ memorable first-round playoff series against the Celtics during the 2008-09 season was the most difficult time in his career.

“When I had the stress fracture and had to watch one of the best series — Boston against us — that I’ve ever seen,” Deng said when asked to describe his lowest point as a Bull. “Knowing that I’m on that team, but I can’t dress up and play, then sitting there and reading everything — the papers, the fans — saying I really wasn’t hurt. To me, that was the lowest point and the craziest thing I ever had to go through. That’s the first time I went through something like that. It helped me a lot in bouncing back and knowing how things worked. Before, I felt I was loved by everyone. That’s really the way I felt. Through my whole life, I never experienced — if you want to call it — hate or whatever it was.”

Lottery losers

The Bobcats own the worst record in the league, which doesn’t bode well for the Bulls. Charlotte must send its 2012 first-round pick to the Bulls to complete the Tyrus Thomas trade from 2010 unless it’s a lottery pick, which it almost certainly will be.

Injury update

Rose was a late scratch from the starting lineup because of back spasms. It was the sixth game he has missed because of injuries.