Bobby Portis is back practicing with the Bulls as the healing starts

It would be easy for Bulls players to recite the usual clichés these days, especially in the wake of the national spotlight being cast on them after the fight between Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic earlier this week.

Mirotic was sent to the hospital with facial fractures and a concussion. Portis was suspended for eight games.

Guard Justin Holiday, however, took a different approach with the matter Friday.

On the same day Portis returned to practice, Holiday said the team shouldn’t look past the events of Tuesday.

Instead, it should handle the situation head-on.

“I don’t necessarily think this is a situation for us to get past,’’ Holiday said. “I think it’s a situation that obviously needs to be brought to the forefront. It’s a situation that needs to be taken care of for those two to be able to come together and be brothers again. I don’t think we’re trying to get past it.’’

Friday was a small step, but a step in getting things back in order.

While Portis was back in practice, Mirotic was still at home, according to coach Fred Hoiberg.

“I’ve reached out to Niko through text,’’ Hoiberg said. “He’s still sore. He’s still very sore. I think every day he’ll get a little better.’’

Hoiberg also was vague about Portis’ practice, even though he was able to watch him for the first time since the altercation.

“His spirit was good,” Hoiberg said. “Right now, our job is to get the guys that we have prepared to play different positions than they’ve been playing.

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“We did get up and down a little bit, and Bobby stepped out there in certain drills. But we’ve got guys who are playing positions they haven’t played the entire preseason. That’s the biggest thing we have to do as far as preparing until we get our guys back, throwing different lineups out there and hopefully getting better with our execution.”

Holiday was able to add more details about Portis’ practice, but more importantly discuss what the team needs to do to make sure Portis and Mirotic can coexist once Mirotic comes back.

“They say sometimes you need time to heal,” Holiday said. “Again, we have to think about both situations in this. One guy is trying to get back healthy. I wish we could just fix this the right way, but that’s not the case. I think it will take some time. And then however those guys decide to do that, us as a team supporting them and figuring out, we will. I think we’re going to take our time with it and hope for the best.

“I think that’s something those two are going to have to figure out. Obviously, speaking to both of them, what I always say from my standpoint is, ‘You guys are our brothers. Again, we’re here to support you two. Whichever way you guys are able to figure this out, do that.’ ”

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Email: jcowley@suntimes.com