Chicago Bulls coach Bill Cartwright’s advice to rookie guard Kirk Hinrich is to slow down until he feels more confident on an NBA court.
Hinrich, who has started five of six games, has averaged 7.3 points a game off 40 percent shooting. He has hit six of 13 three-pointers while logging 23 assists against 25 turnovers.
“Kirk’s going to be up and down all year,” Cartwright said of the first-round draft pick out of Kansas University. “We know that. He’s learning. The big thing with him is with the ball, he’s going to have to be a little more cautious with it and maybe not try to do so much. Just try to move the ball along and get us in the offense.”
Hinrich nearly caused an altercation late in the Bulls’ recent 105-97 loss to Denver. He grabbed a defensive rebound and accidentally sent Nuggets guard Jon Barry flying backward with an elbow to the face. Barry jumped up angrily and began yelling at someone until Bulls veteran Kendall Gill cut him off.
“I don’t even know what I did,” Hinrich said. “I got up and (Barry’s) nose was all red, so I must have hit him.
“I just try to go out and play hard. That’s just the way I’ve always approached it — outwork my opponent and go out and compete.”
Recently Hinrich had a walk down memory lane — bad memory lane. First, he rode past the Superdome to get to New Orleans Arena when the Bulls played the Hornets. Then two days later he played against college nemesis Carmelo Anthony.
April 7, Hinrich’s Kansas team lost to Anthony and Syracuse, 81-78, in the NCAA title game at the Superdome.
“It was the toughest loss I’ve ever had to deal with in my life,” Hinrich said. “That’s always going to be in the back of mind right there. Thanks for bringing it up, though.”
In his NBA United Center debut, Anthony finished with 26 points and eight rebounds in Denver’s 105-97 win over the Bulls.
“He’s a great player,” Hinrich said. “The big thing in college is there was just nobody to match up with him. No team had a guy like him that can play inside-out like that with his strength.”
Hinrich recently replaced Jamal Crawford as the starting point guard. Crawford sulked about it afterward. When asked if he felt awkward to be in the middle of the mess, Hinrich said: “I don’t think so. It’s going to happen. Guys are going to be upset. But the important thing is when we step on the floor, we play as a team.”
Clearly, Hinrich is uncomfortable with the attention caused by his starting.
“I just want to come to work every day and do my job,” Hinrich said. “We just want to create some momentum and keep it.”
Crawford — he suffered a scary fall in an ensuing game and has a strained neck — has made it clear his anger is not directed at Hinrich. “It’s not Kirk’s fault at all,” Crawford said. “He’s just playing basketball. And he’s going to be a good pro.”
