Deng skips practice; Thomas returns

Travel days are usually quiet at the Berto Center and Monday was no exception.

Forward Luol Deng did not practice because of a sore shoulder, though he is expected to play Tuesday at Indiana.

Tyrus Thomas did practice after serving a team-imposed suspension during Saturday’s win over Miami. He did not speak to reporters, while coach Vinny Del Negro tried to stress that the incident is already in the rear-view mirror.

“We’ve got to focus in on Indiana and get ready for them,” Del Negro said. “I don’t have a lot of time to worry about all that stuff. What happened, happened -- it’s over with.

“Hopefully Tyrus learns from it and gets better. I talked to him before the game the other night. But that was it. It was real quick. Everyone knew that it was coming, so it wasn’t a shock or a surprise to anybody.”

Thomas has been frustrated by his playing time and it boiled over after Friday’s loss in Atlanta, the fifth straight game he played 20 minutes or less. But the Bulls had long been concerned about Thomas’ attitude and commitment to the team.

Derrick Rose said Thomas apologized to his teammates after the incident occurred.

“Everybody talked to him,” Rose said. “People handle stuff in certain ways. It seems like he’s on the right path, so we’re just going to leave him that way.”