Drew Gooden is averaging 19 points and 10.5 rebounds in four games since returning from a sprained ankle. But the Bulls veteran switched from offensive to defensive mode when asked about his fellow big men's lack of production.
"Our offense isn't really geared for posting up," Gooden said. "It's a high-octane, shoot-when-you're-open, get-to-the-basket offense. To say Joakim [Noah], Tyrus [Thomas] or any other big man should step up on the block is unfair. They don't have the opportunity to do that. "Now, that doesn't take away from offensive rebounding and catching the ball in the paint and finishing."
Gooden is playing through a still-sore right ankle, and he strained his left groin while blocking Steve Blake's shot in Monday night's loss to Portland. He skipped practice Tuesday but said he'd play Wednesday night against the Raptors.
As a captain, Gooden is cognizant of a tough stretch that includes home games against Cleveland and San Antonio after the trip to Toronto.
"Those are games we can win," Gooden said. "We play better against the high-caliber teams and relax against the below-.500 teams. Those are chances to step up and see if we can be the team we need to be. I've been in situations with past teams when things aren't going well where everybody goes their separate ways. This team hasn't shown any signs of that."
Rotation roulette: For the first game with six guards active, veterans Larry Hughes and Lindsey Hunter were the odd men out. Hughes, averaging 27.1 minutes entering Monday, played seven first-half minutes. Hunter didn't leave the bench.
"I talked to both of them, and my door is always open," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "I'm a big believer in communication. Trying to get the rotation down and finding a comfort level, especially for younger players, is important.
"I don't know if they're cool with it. Everybody wants to play and help the team win. And both players have been successful in their careers and played major roles on successful teams in the past."
'D' for Derrick: So much attention has been heaped on Derrick Rose's offensive skills that his defensive lapses can get overlooked. But Portland's Blake and even rookie Jerryd Bayless were the latest guards to penetrate against Rose.
"He can get better defensively," Del Negro said. "Maybe cut his minutes down a little bit. Sometimes you have to go through mistakes.
"We watch film on the plane and show him how to cut off angles. Kirk [Hinrich] does a good job on that, so having him back and working with him as a teammate will help. You just keep working to help him control some penetration."
