Gordon, now in Detroit, was capable of erasing a game's worth of defensive mistakes if the Bulls kept games close. Unless Chicago finds someone with Gordon's knack for late-game drama it's putting more pressure on its defense. And that's what it wants.

"I think we feel like the only way we can accomplish what we want to accomplish is on the defensive end, Bulls swingman John Salmons said. "That's the only way you can win games consistently. Scoring the ball is gonna come and go. If we can be consistent on defense, we'll have a chance every night."

Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro likes what he's seen so far from the Gordon-less Bulls.

"I'm pleased with their effort," he said. "Now it's a matter of taking what we've done in practice to start off this difficult early schedule."

Chicago (1-2) could have used Gordon during Sunday's 95-87 loss at Miami. The Bulls sputtered down the stretch. Swingman John Salmons (12-for-43 shooting, 27.9 percent) is off to a slow start in the season's first three games. Second-year guard Derrick Rose, still recovering from an ankle injury, doesn't have his usual explosiveness. And fellow guard Kirk Hinrich was busy trying to defend Miami's late-game hero, Dwyane Wade.

On the other hand, the Bulls did just fine in the opener, defeating San Antonio, 92-85. They summoned plenty of energy throughout the roster and didn't need late-game heroics.

"They had more guys come to compete than we did," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

For now, consider forward Luol Deng as a good measuring stick for Chicago's progress. He epitomizes this team as well as anyone. Deng is recovering from a stress fracture in his lower right leg, an injury that limited him to 49 games a year ago. There are questions about how effective he'll be this season.

Heading into Tuesday's game against Milwaukee, Deng was averaging 15.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting .500 from the field. That's right on target for his career averages of 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. And his long-armed defense was as disruptive as ever. But Deng doesn't want to make too many predictions.

"I'm just glad the season started," he said. "Like I said before, it will answer a lot of questions rather than me standing up in front of everybody every day and trying to answer questions. Me going and just playing will answer things."

The same could be said for the rest of the Bulls. Can Salmons be the leading scorer for an entire season and playoffs? Can center Joakim Noah be a valuable player in the middle? Can power forward Tyrus Thomas deliver on his tremendous potential for an entire season?

And mostly, can the Bulls play well enough defensively to make up for the loss of Gordon's game-saving tactics?

"I feel we're going in the right direction with it and guys are putting in the effort," Del Negro said of the defense. "Usually, when you do that, good results happen."

Interesting situation

Charlotte guard Raja Bell is playing despite having a torn ligament in his left (non-shooting) wrist. Surgery would have meant Bell, 33, would miss four months. That's not good for Bell, who will be a free agent at season's end.

Bell sought the advice of a hand specialist before making his decision. But it was a tough choice. Do you have the surgery, miss four months and go into free agency healthy? Or do you play for a team that probably won't even make the playoffs in hopes of increasing your value to potential suitors?

Watch the little guy

Minnesota's Jonny Flynn, the 6-foot, quick-as-a-hiccup rookie point guard from Syracuse, had the ball in his hands down the stretch of Wednesday's 95-93 season-opening victory over New Jersey.

Flynn missed a layup with three seconds left in the tied game, but Damien Wilkins converted the tip-in for the victory. Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis has no problem putting his faith in Flynn, who is averaging 14.8 points per game and shooting .475 (19-for-40) from the field through four games.

"I just thought it was important to put the ball in his hands and show him I have confidence to make the right decision," Rambis said.

Down the stretch

Although Miami has opted to start second-year power forward Michael Beasley over workmanlike veteran Udonis Haslem, it's Haslem that has been on the floor in the final two minutes in close games against Indiana and Chicago.

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said he isn't sure if that trend will continue. Haslem, of course, is the better defender. He's also probably Miami's second-best clutch shooter after Wade.

Beasley, however, can score from almost anywhere on the court at any time.

For now, the plan is to keep Beasley at power forward. Miami experimented with playing Beasley at small forward. Quentin Richardson holds that spot. But if Beasley masters small forward it would allow the Heat to have him and Haslem on the court together at the end of games.

"I still like some things (Beasley) does at (small forward)," Spoelstra said. "He will be playing (small forward). I like it a little bit more with the second unit."

Long-range gunner

If you suspect all forward Rasheed Wallace is doing for Boston's offense is standing at the top of the key and shooting three-pointers, you're right. Wallace has attempted 36 field goals, 25 (69.4 percent of his shots) are three-pointers.

For the season Wallace is shooting .360 on three-pointers (9-for-25) and shooting .389 (14-for-36) from the field overall. He's averaging 10.0 points per game in 21 minutes per game. It seems to be working so far.

Forget the curse

Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman doesn't want to hear any talk about his franchise being cursed in light of No. 1 pick Blake Griffin's broken kneecap.

"I don't really care about all that stuff you hear," he said. "You're dealt the cards and you play them, there's nothing you can do about it. Blake's a good player, he plays hard, he's got great potential in this league and I thought he had a great pre-season. But all we can do is look forward and try to get some wins."

Batum should be fine

There's good news for Portland second-year forward Nicolas Batum, who had surgery Friday to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Miami's Dwyane Wade and Cleveland's Anderson Varejao are among the players who have had similar procedures, and they came back in perfect health.

Batum isn't expected to return until the All-Star break, but his athleticism will make the Trail Blazers even more dangerous in the playoffs.

Make sure to check out Chris' next NBA Chat on Friday at 11am EST. You can drop your questions in for Chris now.