While certain guys will get more opportunities, nearly every Bulls player will get a chance to guard Lakers star Kobe Bryant at some point tonight.
That much was clear when coach Vinny Del Negro was asked following the team’s shootaround at Staples Center who would get a shot at guarding Bryant.
“It’ll be John [Salmons], Kirk [Hinrich], Luol [Deng], team,” Del Negro said. “You’re not gonna stop Kobe one-on-one. It’s team defense and sometimes even double and triple teams don’t help.
“We’ve got to get on the glass, play at the right tempo. He’s gonna have the ball a lot, but if you pay too much attention to him, [Andrew] Bynum can kill you, [Pau] Gasol, [Lamar] Odom, [Ron] Artest, the list goes on. That’s what makes Kobe so effective: he has so much around him.”
