http://www.suntimes.com/output/sports/cst-spt-bull18.html
Bulls have winner in Duhon
April 18, 2005
BY JOHN JACKSON Staff Reporter
For perhaps the first time all season, Chris Duhon stepped into the spotlight Saturday night and upstaged his more celebrated Bulls teammates.
The 6-1 rookie guard scored a season-high 24 points on 8-for-9 shooting -- with all nine attempts from three-point range -- to spark a comeback victory against the lowly Atlanta Hawks and avoid what would have been an embarrassing, confidence-shattering loss.
Some would consider Duhon's game a breakout performance, but general manager John Paxson and coach Scott Skiles know better. Regardless of what Duhon does the remainder of the season, the Bulls' brain trust believes his breakout came in the 10th game of the season, when he moved into the starting lineup for the first time.
''You can point to a lot of things,'' Paxson said of the reasons behind the Bulls' dramatic turnaround, ''but we were 0-9 to start the year, and then Scott put him in the starting lineup. Whatever the math is from that point, he's been a big part of it.''
Here's the math: Since Duhon became a starter Nov. 24 at Utah, the Bulls are 46-25.
His statistics -- 6.0 points and 4.8 assists in 26.4 minutes per game -- wouldn't seem to suggest he has had a significant impact, but statistics can be deceiving.
''What it did initially was give us two very good defensive guards out there,'' Skiles said, referring also to Kirk Hinrich. "That's where our defense starts, in the backcourt.
"Then it became clear he had a level of poise running the point that he could kind of take control of the offense, and he has an uncanny knack of making late-game big plays. Even if he hasn't made a shot, he'll make a three, he'll make a steal, get a big rebound. He's just been able to make big plays at key moments.''
While Ben Gordon has gotten most of the attention for his explosive finishes, Duhon has had more to do with getting the Bulls in position for Gordon to do his thing. That arrangement is fine with Duhon.
''I understand there's more than scoring to win games,'' he said. ''I understand that in order for a team to be successful, there's going to have to be guys that do the little things, the things that don't show up in the paper, the things that people who watch and really understand the game realize how important they are.
''I'm one of those type of guys. You're not going to depend on me to score 15 or 20 points, but you're going to depend on me to bring energy to the game, make smart decisions, defend, do all the little and dirty things that help make a great team.''
Going back to his days at Duke, Duhon never has been regarded as a strong offensive player. Teams routinely leave him open on the perimeter, and he was getting open looks Saturday even after hitting his first few shots.
Skiles, though, doesn't believe Duhon always will be known as a solid all-around player with a weak perimeter shot.
''When Du first got to Duke, he was a very good shooter,'' Skiles said. ''It was only as time went on that people started to question his shot, and then maybe he did, too. A large part of shooting is mental. He's got a couple of games in a row now where he's barely hitting the rim. He's kind of dialed in right now. Hopefully, he can keep it going.''
In the Bulls' last two games, Duhon is 15-for-17 overall and 11-for-13 from three-point range. Although he is making just 35.3 percent of his shots for the season, Duhon was asked if his confidence is at an all-time high because of his recent hot streak.
''It is,'' he said. ''I'm feeling confident every time I shoot the ball. I'm in a great rhythm, and it's coming off my fingertips well. I know how important that's going to be in the playoffs. It's going to open up the middle for Ben and Kirk coming off of screens. That's going to make us a better team.''
Duhon wasn't even expected to make the team at the start of training camp. With Mike Wilks (acquired from Houston in the Dikembe Mutombo trade) and Jannero Pargo on the roster in addition to Hinrich and Gordon, there didn't seem to be room for the second-round pick (No. 38 overall).
''They brought in a lot of guards, and I was probably the last one on their list,'' Duhon said. ''Coach Skiles came in and talked to me and was like, 'You have to earn your spot.'
''So I took it as a challenge. I knew the odds were against me, but I've been through a lot of adversity through my life and I wasn't going to let odds stop me from achieving a goal I had dreamed of.''
Duhon controlled his own destiny once training camp began, but Paxson admitted recently that he considered trading the pick during the draft.
''We had some options,'' Paxson said. ''Teams were trying to buy picks, and we talked about selling our pick for the future. When we came down to it, we liked Chris' competitiveness, but honestly, with drafting Ben and having Kirk and some of the other things, we weren't sure he'd make our team. He just kept hanging around and surviving.''
Now the onus is on the Bulls to keep him. Duhon is playing this season for the minimum rookie salary of $385,000 but figures to cash in this summer, when he becomes a restricted free agent.
''We'll do whatever we can to keep him,'' Paxson said. ''I understand this business and money is the most important thing for most people, but this year we've been able to create an atmosphere of team. I think all of our guys that are restricted, they want to be here now.''
Although Duhon won't get any support for rookie of the year -- that's Gordon's domain -- he's proud of his first season.
''From where I started -- people said I would be playing overseas and not even making the team -- to where I am now, it's been a pretty good ride,'' he said. ''I've learned so much and I feel like I'm getting better and better. There's still more I want to do.''
Bulls have winner in Duhon
April 18, 2005
BY JOHN JACKSON Staff Reporter
For perhaps the first time all season, Chris Duhon stepped into the spotlight Saturday night and upstaged his more celebrated Bulls teammates.
The 6-1 rookie guard scored a season-high 24 points on 8-for-9 shooting -- with all nine attempts from three-point range -- to spark a comeback victory against the lowly Atlanta Hawks and avoid what would have been an embarrassing, confidence-shattering loss.
Some would consider Duhon's game a breakout performance, but general manager John Paxson and coach Scott Skiles know better. Regardless of what Duhon does the remainder of the season, the Bulls' brain trust believes his breakout came in the 10th game of the season, when he moved into the starting lineup for the first time.
''You can point to a lot of things,'' Paxson said of the reasons behind the Bulls' dramatic turnaround, ''but we were 0-9 to start the year, and then Scott put him in the starting lineup. Whatever the math is from that point, he's been a big part of it.''
Here's the math: Since Duhon became a starter Nov. 24 at Utah, the Bulls are 46-25.
His statistics -- 6.0 points and 4.8 assists in 26.4 minutes per game -- wouldn't seem to suggest he has had a significant impact, but statistics can be deceiving.
''What it did initially was give us two very good defensive guards out there,'' Skiles said, referring also to Kirk Hinrich. "That's where our defense starts, in the backcourt.
"Then it became clear he had a level of poise running the point that he could kind of take control of the offense, and he has an uncanny knack of making late-game big plays. Even if he hasn't made a shot, he'll make a three, he'll make a steal, get a big rebound. He's just been able to make big plays at key moments.''
While Ben Gordon has gotten most of the attention for his explosive finishes, Duhon has had more to do with getting the Bulls in position for Gordon to do his thing. That arrangement is fine with Duhon.
''I understand there's more than scoring to win games,'' he said. ''I understand that in order for a team to be successful, there's going to have to be guys that do the little things, the things that don't show up in the paper, the things that people who watch and really understand the game realize how important they are.
''I'm one of those type of guys. You're not going to depend on me to score 15 or 20 points, but you're going to depend on me to bring energy to the game, make smart decisions, defend, do all the little and dirty things that help make a great team.''
Going back to his days at Duke, Duhon never has been regarded as a strong offensive player. Teams routinely leave him open on the perimeter, and he was getting open looks Saturday even after hitting his first few shots.
Skiles, though, doesn't believe Duhon always will be known as a solid all-around player with a weak perimeter shot.
''When Du first got to Duke, he was a very good shooter,'' Skiles said. ''It was only as time went on that people started to question his shot, and then maybe he did, too. A large part of shooting is mental. He's got a couple of games in a row now where he's barely hitting the rim. He's kind of dialed in right now. Hopefully, he can keep it going.''
In the Bulls' last two games, Duhon is 15-for-17 overall and 11-for-13 from three-point range. Although he is making just 35.3 percent of his shots for the season, Duhon was asked if his confidence is at an all-time high because of his recent hot streak.
''It is,'' he said. ''I'm feeling confident every time I shoot the ball. I'm in a great rhythm, and it's coming off my fingertips well. I know how important that's going to be in the playoffs. It's going to open up the middle for Ben and Kirk coming off of screens. That's going to make us a better team.''
Duhon wasn't even expected to make the team at the start of training camp. With Mike Wilks (acquired from Houston in the Dikembe Mutombo trade) and Jannero Pargo on the roster in addition to Hinrich and Gordon, there didn't seem to be room for the second-round pick (No. 38 overall).
''They brought in a lot of guards, and I was probably the last one on their list,'' Duhon said. ''Coach Skiles came in and talked to me and was like, 'You have to earn your spot.'
''So I took it as a challenge. I knew the odds were against me, but I've been through a lot of adversity through my life and I wasn't going to let odds stop me from achieving a goal I had dreamed of.''
Duhon controlled his own destiny once training camp began, but Paxson admitted recently that he considered trading the pick during the draft.
''We had some options,'' Paxson said. ''Teams were trying to buy picks, and we talked about selling our pick for the future. When we came down to it, we liked Chris' competitiveness, but honestly, with drafting Ben and having Kirk and some of the other things, we weren't sure he'd make our team. He just kept hanging around and surviving.''
Now the onus is on the Bulls to keep him. Duhon is playing this season for the minimum rookie salary of $385,000 but figures to cash in this summer, when he becomes a restricted free agent.
''We'll do whatever we can to keep him,'' Paxson said. ''I understand this business and money is the most important thing for most people, but this year we've been able to create an atmosphere of team. I think all of our guys that are restricted, they want to be here now.''
Although Duhon won't get any support for rookie of the year -- that's Gordon's domain -- he's proud of his first season.
''From where I started -- people said I would be playing overseas and not even making the team -- to where I am now, it's been a pretty good ride,'' he said. ''I've learned so much and I feel like I'm getting better and better. There's still more I want to do.''
