Tyrus still sick; Bulls prep for Cavs

The only real news from Wednesday’s Bulls practice was Tyrus Thomas missing again with flu-like symptoms. He stopped by the Berto Center early in the morning, went back to the doctor and did not fly with the team to Cleveland.

Coach Vinny Del Negro said there was a slight chance Thomas could fly on his own and face the Cavaliers on Thursday, but that doesn’t seem likely.

Otherwise, the main topics of discussion were Luol Deng’s 24-point, 20-rebound performance against the Bucks on Tuesday and Del Negro’s desire for the Bulls to play at a faster pace.

Deng’s fast start after recovering from a stress fracture in his right tibia is a very encouraging sign for the Bulls. He looks much like he did when he was at his best during the 2006-07 season –- popping the quick mid-range jumper with confidence and scoring on occasion near the basket.

The Cavaliers added Shaquille O’Neal, 37, but I still believe the key to their success is ball movement. When LeBron James holds the ball for several seconds, then leans back and launches a 21-foot fadeaway jumper –- even if it goes in most of the time –- that’s good news for the opposition because it means the Cavs aren’t involving others in the offense and James isn’t attacking the basket.

I think a mobile center like Joakim Noah is a worse matchup for O’Neal than the other way around, but we’ll see how it turns out. Obviously, the goal is to make the ball leave O'Neal's hand when he shoots it. He'll make 100 percent of his dunks, but miss most of his hooks and turnarounds these days. The Bulls aren’t as good defensively without Thomas.

SHAQ-TASTIC
O’Neal produced 21 points and 8 rebounds against Washington on Tuesday, hitting 7 of 10 shots from the floor and 7 of 10 free throws. Like the Bulls against the Bucks, Cleveland rallied from an 18-point deficit, though they didn’t wait until late in the third quarter to start playing.

Here’s what O’Neal said after the contest in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer:

"It was probably my first game where I was very, very aggressive. The other games I've just been trying to fit in, and I haven't really been taking a lot of shots. I've been trying to make sure everybody else gets involved.

"But I think the guys know that whenever they need a bucket, they can throw it down there. When I'm going like that, and I've got a little rhythm, my free throws start to fall. I seem to have trouble when I run up and down the court for 15 minutes, don't take a shot, then all of a sudden have to shoot free throws. But when I'm shooting and playing, then I've got a little bit better of a rhythm.”

Was that a subtle message that the Cavs better get him the ball often, otherwise he’ll stop playing? Hard to say.

WEST FACES MULTIPLE CHARGES
The strange saga of Cavs guard Delonte West continued Tuesday when he was hit with six weapons counts by a Maryland grand jury. This all stems from his Sept. 17 traffic stop on the Capitol Beltway near Washington.

According to a Plain-Dealer report, West cut off a marked police car while riding a three-wheeled motorcycle and was pulled over. He carried two fully-loaded handguns, had a shotgun in a guitar case, along with 112 shotgun shells and an 8-inch Bowie-style knife. These charges could very easily result in a year or more of jail time.

The Bulls saw last year how valuable West can be to the Cavs. The 6-5 guard was lighting up Ben Gordon in a Jan. 15 game at the United Center, then smacked his head and wrist on the floor while making an ill-advised, out of control shot-block attempt on Derrick Rose. The Cavs lost that game and West missed several weeks with his injuries.

He’s been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and told reporters at Cavs media day that he’d fallen out of his routine when the incident in Maryland occurred, but has since resumed taking his medication. He missed most of preseason, but played in the last two games.

It’s not clear whether West will face the Bulls, but he definitely has important matters that need to be addressed.

West was a high school teammate and best friend of obscure ex-Bull Eddie Basden. I remember Basden telling stories about how West would drive him to school every morning, but they never arrived in time to make their first period classes, thanks to a variety of household issues.