Tyrus Thomas out sick for Tuesday's game

Tyrus Thomas is out sick and won’t play tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks, which means rookie Taj Gibson will get his first official NBA start.

Thomas showed up at the Berto Center this morning for shootaround, saw trainer Fred Tedeschi and was sent home. Coach Vinny Del Negro said Thomas saw a doctor in the afternoon.

“He’s not feeling very well right now,” Del Negro said.

Thomas sat out the fourth quarter against Miami, which probably made the timing of his illness seem suspicious. Asked if he had any complaints about Thomas’ play in the first three games of the season, Del Negro dodged the issue.

“I’m unhappy with our play as a team,” he said. “I’m not going to talk about guys individually like that. Everyone needs to pick it up a little bit.

“I haven’t seen Tyrus all day. Next time I see him, if something’s on his mind, he knows where to find me and we’ll talk. He needs to get healthy right now and we’ve got to focus in on tonight’s game.”

Thomas’ minutes have been down (23.7 per game), but he’s played relatively well so far this season. He has gotten frustrated in the past, though, with inconsistent playing time.

--Michael Redd won’t play for the Bucks tonight. He’s expected to miss two weeks with a knee injury. Charlie Bell will start for Redd, who shot 32 percent from the field and averaged 13 points in the first two games.

--Del Negro mentioned that he’d like to get more rest for Jannero Pargo, who is battling a sore back. Pargo is available to play against the Bucks, though.

For the past several days, Del Negro has stressed that he wants the Bulls to play at a faster pace.