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The Kings' chances of extending their winning streak to five and continuing to protect the home floor have taken a hit - square on the right hip of Andres Nocioni.
The Kings small forward said at this morning's shoot-a-round that he's unlikely to play against his old team tonight. I've been told that second-year small forward Donte' Greene will likely get the nod. And while Greene is certainly in the best stretch of his young career, Nocioni had been playing very well too.
A Nocioni absence would certainly take away one of tonight's bigger storylines, but there are more. Former Kings Brad Miller and John Salmons make their first visit back to Arco since being traded to the Bulls in February. Miller said it has been a busy trip already, as he caught up with old Kings colleagues last night and even signed the final papers on the sale of his Sacramento-area home. He stayed there last night, just to make the most of that final mortgage payment.
As for tonight, Miller said he's less worried about how the game will go than he is the prospect of using the outdated and less-than-luxurious showers in the visiting locker room afterward. He also talked about his night out with third-year center Spencer Hawes and his new friend.
The Bulls may have an identical record as the Kings (5-4), but they surely feel as if they should be at least 6-3 after a last-second apparent game-winning shot by Miller against Denver was called off by the officials on Nov. 11.
Otherwise, second-year point guard Derrick Rose isn't playing very well at all just yet for the Bulls. He'll matchup against Kings rookie Tyreke Evans as the University of Memphis products see who's the best former Tiger on this night. Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro would love for Salmons to start hitting a few shots to open things up for Rose, as Salmons is shooting just 31.7 percent from the field so far this season. - Sam Amick
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