Kirk Hinrich will not play tonight when the Bulls host the San Antonio Spurs. Hinrich sprained his right ankle Tuesday when he stepped on Larry Hughes' foot in the win over New Jersey. ``I feel like I could go, but I can't move with it,'' Hinrich said. He hopes to play Saturday when the Bulls host Indiana.

Bulls guard Chris Duhon was excused from practice Sunday with what head coach Jim Boylan said was a virus. Boylan said Duhon was not cleared by doctors he visited Sunday to travel to New Orleans where the Bulls play the Hornets Monday.

Apparently Chris Duhon's punishment isn't over. The Bulls guard was placed on the inactive ist for the game with the Utah Jazz at the United Center — even though he is healthy and, obviously, well rested.
With Thabo Sefolosha back after missing six games with a strained left groin, Shannon Brown was the fifth guard on the active roster.
When asked about Duhon being inactive, all coach Jim Boylan said was "That's a coach's decision."

Chris Duhon figures to move down a rung on the Bulls' depth chart tonight because guard Thabo Sefolosha will be back in uniform for the game against the Utah Jazz in the United Center.
Sefolosha practiced Monday and participated in the shootaround this morning with no ill effects from the strained left groin that caused him to miss the last six games.
It's unclear at this point how the 6-7 guard will be used tonight or whether his minutes will be limited. He had been starting and playing well before the injury, but he'll likely come off the bench initially.
As for Duhon, he'll be in uniform and eligible to play tonight — after being held out of Sunday's game at Detroit for missing the shootaround that morning — but that seems unlikely with Sefolosha, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and Larry Hughes ahead of him in the rotation.

By John Jackson
Not surprisingly, general manager John Paxson didn't take kindly to Chris Duhon's comments about being held out of Sunday night's 116-109 loss at Detroit as punishment for missing the shootaround — "I don't play anyway, so it doesn't have that much of an effect on me," he said — and had a quick talk with the guard before Monday's practice.
Unfortunately, Duhon isn't the only player on the team who has exhibited questionable professionalism of late. All you had to do was look at the bench in the final seconds of Sunday's game to see the players laughing it up. Obviously loss No. 38 didn't matter much to them.

By John Jackson
About an hour before tipoff of tonight's game against the Detroit Pistons, Bulls coach Jim Boylan announced that guard Chris Duhon would dress but not play as punishment for missing the morning shootaround.
On the surface, it may not seem like much of a penalty since Duhon — save for an extended stretch of garbage time Friday night against the Boston Celtics — hadn't been playing hardly at all since the Bulls traded for Larry Hughes 2 1/2 weeks ago. But it is a different story when the coach calls you out in front of the media.
Duhon might have actually played some minutes tonight since Thabo Sefolosha will miss his sixth straight game with a left groin strain.

By John Jackson
If you were watching the Duke-North Carolina game Saturday night, you probably saw Chris Duhon among the many former players that attended the game. Duhon has gone back to Duke for many games over the years, but my first thought after seeing the Bulls guard courtside was this:
How in the heck is he going to make it back to suburban Detroit for the Bulls' 10 a.m. (Eastern time) shootaround Sunday in the Palace of Auburn Hills — especially with the start of daylight savings time making the night an hour shorter?
Despite chartering a plane to get back to the team hotel Saturday night, Duhon overslept and missed the shootaround.
It's nice to support your college team in a big game, but Duhon's first priority is to the team signing his checks. Even if he had managed to make the shootaround, attending a game Saturday night in North Carolina probably isn't a good idea when you have a game Sunday night in Detroit because of the fatgue factor.
Then there's the fact that the last thing the Bulls need right now is another distraction.

Tyrus Thomas was at the Berto Center for the Bulls shoot around Thursday morning but refused to comment on why he missed practice Wednesday. The team suspended Thomas two games for the unexcused absence. He will sit out against Cleveland in the nationally-televised game against Cleveland and at Boston Friday.
Bull general manager John Paxson declined to comment.
Bulls head coach Jim Boylan was asked if Thomas had apologized to the team.
``You've got to talk to Tyrus about that,'' Boylan said.
Told Thomas was not talking, Boylan said: ``I guess that's his right, her can speak or not speak.''
Sources said Thomas blew off the practice as a protest for being benched for all but eight-plus minutes Tuesday in the win over Memphis. Thomas was scoreless, had one rebound, and picked up four fouls in that game.
Boylan tried to make light of the subject: ``It was a one-game suspension but Griff [Adrian Griffin] and Ben Wallace called and said we should make it two. So we decided it was probably the best thing.''
But Boylan knows this is not something the team needs in what has been a soap opera season.
``It's disappointing,'' Boylan said. ``It's just disappointing to me at this point in the season we're dealing with stuff like this.''

Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas has been suspended two games for missing practice Wednesday. Bulls general manager John Paxson declined to comment. Thomas will miss the home game Thursday and the game at Boston Friday.

Bulls guard Thabo Sefolosha will miss his fourth consecutive game Thursday against Cleveland with what has been called a groin injury. Coach Jim Boylan said Sefolosha was scheduled to visit more doctors Wednesday for further diagnosis. Boylan said doctors have rule out a hernia but that Sefolosha remains in pain.

Head coach Jim Boylan gave forward Drew Gooden his first start Sunday. Gooden was making his first return to Cleveland since the Cavaliers traded him and Larry Hughes to the Bulls Feb. 21, for Ben Wallace and Joe Smith. Gooden replaced Tyrus Thomas. It apears the move may be permanent for the remainder of the season.
``I feel like it's time,'' Boylan said. ``Drew is a physical presence around the basket. Especially in a game like today, we need that. Going forward, I feel we need that at the start of games.''
Boylan said Saturday Thomas would start vs. the Cavs, but left his option open.
``Tyrus will continue to play and develop and grow,'' Boylan said. ``If the only way you develop and grow is being in the starting lineup, then the people who think that don't really know the game very well.''