James takes 'jailhouse' tag as compliment
--After newcomer Mike James played the majority of the fourth quarter in a win over the Celtics on Thursday, center Joakim Noah referred to James as a "jailhouse player." Asked what he meant, Noah gladly provided an answer.
"If you had a movie in a jail, wouldn't you want to have a guy like Mike James having a role in your movie?" he said with a smile. "He looks the part."
James didn't mind the description and told the story of when his New Orleans Hornets teammates bought him an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs to wear as a Halloween costume.
"I've been called that my whole career," James said. "I guess I take it as a person who doesn't take a lot of stuff, doesn't back down from no one. I know how to adjust and conform to any situation I'm in."
--If the Bulls can go 13-3 in their next 16 games, Tom Thibodeau will match Avery Johnson's NBA record for a head coach reaching 100 wins the fastest.
Given his first chance to be an NBA head coach after 20 years as an assistant in the league, Thibodeau has posted an 87-28 record in a season and a half. Johnson, now coach of the Nets, started 100-31 with Dallas.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"You could deal with a tough, hard-fought game where they play well and they make a tough shot at the end. But to dig a hole like we did, it's disappointing, quite honestly." -- coach Tom Thibodeau after the Bulls fell behind 22-3 on Saturday and lost at home to New Jersey.
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