NEW ORLEANS -- Four days after the Bulls traded center Aaron Gray to the Hornets in a straight-up deal for veteran Devin Brown, the teams met at New Orleans Arena, but neither player got back at his former team. Neither man even got off the bench.
Gray, though, believes he'll be better off in the long run playing with the Hornets.
''Definitely better,'' he said. ''I definitely feel like I'm gonna have an opportunity. I'm gonna have to work and earn those minutes, but I feel like I'm fighting for something here.
''Over there [with the Bulls], there was just no opportunity no matter what. They showed me that in the Houston game.''
Gray began the season on the inactive list after suffering a stress fracture in his lower left leg in camp. He played in only eight games with the Bulls, virtually all in garbage time.
When starting center Joakim Noah missed the game against the Rockets, Gray still was kept on the bench.
''I'm still battling with my conditioning and getting back to 100 percent,'' Gray said. ''But in the last few weeks I've actually felt great and, hopefully, now it'll benefit the Hornets and not the Bulls.''
Brown started 37 of 39 games and averaged 9.7 points with the Hornets this season, but Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro hasn't inserted him yet. He wants Brown, who has participated in two shootarounds, to go through a practice before deciding how he fits.
''After [Friday's] game, we get home for a couple of days and we can get some practice under our belts,'' Del Negro said.
Despite the Bulls' winning ways -- they've won nine of their last 11 -- rumors are circulating about possible trades. Chicago has been mentioned as a possible destination for Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly are interested in Kirk Hinrich.
The NBA trading deadline is more than three weeks away.
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