The Bulls have been shorthanded, but coach Vinny Del Negro could soon be on the hot seat.

Chicago lost 110-78 to the Raptors on Saturday night and they are 7-11 through their first 18 games.

The Bulls have lost seven of their last eight games and trailed by at least 19 points in six of those seven losses.

"In a perfect world, of course," Del Negro said, when asked if he needed more effort. "But Jannero is out there limping. I have Lindsey (Hunter) in a bucket of ice trying to heal his foot. We have rookies trying to find their way. We don't have the bodies.

"You're going to have days like this. I love the challenge. I love the competition. It makes me sick to perform like that. But are you going to give up or go fight? I'm a fighter. I'm going to battle and do whatever I can to help. And the guys have to do the same."

Peter Vecsey of the New York Post wrote on Sunday that the Knicks are not interested in trading for Chicago forward Tyrus Thomas.

Vecsey points out New York executive Donnie Walsh's soft spot for Al Harrington, who the Bulls are reportedly targeting, and reports that Walsh hasn't had a single conversation with Chicago about such a deal.

Knicks forward Al Harrington's name has been mentioned in trade rumors this month.

The Bulls are believed to be shopping forward Tyrus Thomas and they like Harrington.

"He's got a broken arm," Harrington said of Thomas. "I might as well be traded for a bag of balls."

"I hope not," he added of possibly getting traded. "I love New York. I love being a Knick. I told ya'll that. I want to be part of this when it's turned around. Not trying to go somewhere else."

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni spoke of rumors linking the team to Chicago's Tyrus Thomas recently.

New York team officials claim that the Bulls are shopping Thomas, who is currently nursing a broken forearm, and that Chicago has interest in Al Harrington.

"I did say something how I've always liked him, but I don't know," D'Antoni said of Thomas. "I think he's a fine player. I think Tyrus is a good player, but I think Al's a good player."

D'Antoni added that because of New York's 5-15 record, general manager Donnie Walsh is more active than usual.

"When you're in a certain position, you're going to call around the league and you're going to look at everything," D'Antoni said. "I think we're in that position where we look at everything. You try to do things that make you better or something for the future, and I'm sure that's something we'll do if it arises."

LeBron James appeared to be having the time of his life during Cleveland's 101-87 win over Chicago on Friday night.

James showcased his enthusiasm with dance moves while on the bench late in the game and while on the court in the second half. During one timeout, James danced to House of Pain's "Jump Around" and mugged for the crowd with teammate Danny Green.

Bulls center Joakim Noah felt the dancing went a bit too far.

"When you're losing the way you're losing and guys are rubbing it in your face, dancing and all that," Noah said. "I have a lot of respect for LeBron. It's just a frustrating situation."

LeBron, not surprisingly, insisted that he wasn't trying to show up the Bulls.

"It's nothing against the Bulls and it's nothing against Joakim or none of those guys," he said. "It's nothing about showboating on a team. I've seen it happen all last year. I think he (Noah) was more frustrated about the way he played as an individual. He didn't help his team win."

Noah passed on criticizing James and expressed his frustration with losing the game.

"It stinks to lose, man," Noah said. "That's the toughest thing, we can't compete for 48 minutes. We've got to find a way to win games because this losing thing is not a good look, man, it's just not. It's not what anybody in this locker room expected. This losing thing is really frustrating."

Yahoo! Sports reports that the Bulls and Knicks are discussing a trade that would send Tyrus Thomas and Jerome James to New York in exchange for Al Harrington.

Several sources believe that Gar Forman would sign off on such a deal but Donnie Walsh is so far not ready to include Harrington.

"Nothing is imminent, but both sides would like to figure out a way to do this," said a league executive who was briefed on the discussions.

The Bulls are talking about Thomas with several clubs as the forward rehabs from a fractured forearm.

Both Thomas and Harrington are in the final season of their contracts.

Adrian Wojnarowski also mentions Andre Miller, Tracy McGrady and Elton Brand as players who could be dealt this season.

Derrick Rose admitted to fantasizing about playing beside a superstar like LeBron James ahead of the Bulls' visit to Cleveland on Friday.

"Any one of them superstars needs to come here," Rose said. "I wouldn't mind playing with anybody, especially a guy like [James]. He can't do nothing but make the team better."

Rose still gets mesmerized playing on the same floor as LeBron.

"He's just amazing on the court, especially on the fast break," Rose said. "It's some highlight reel or something like that.

"But he's a great player, you can't lie. He leads his team. He's playing well right now and it's tough guarding him."

Ron Artest clarified comments he made regarding his drinking.

Artest was a guest Thursday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000 Chicago, and he said he was trying to portray himself as an example of how not to handle pressure.

"The whole point of it was to let people know I was not proud of how I was as a youngster, and how immature I was," Artest said. "I think the guy released the part of the story that was going to sell the newspapers.

"I think when the story comes out, it will show how I was not proud of how I was during my younger days in the NBA. But I think in order to get everybody interested in actually buying the paper, I think they just released all these power points, so to speak."

Artest said Thursday during the interview that the drinking took place "a lot of times before the game. It probably lasted for about a couple weeks, or maybe a month. I can't exactly remember."

Artest didn't elaborate about drinking during halftimes of games.

"I know before games, sometimes, I would take some sips before games," he said. "Most of the time it would be like when I would drive to the game with one my drivers, it would be right before the game."

Pistons guard Ben Gordon will be a game-time decision against his former team, the Pistons, on Wednesday night.

He has missed Detroit's last two games because of an ankle injury.

"I don't know," Gordon said after the team's shootaround.

"I was able to do a little more today in shootaround than I was able to [Tuesday], so I'm just going to come back tonight and see how it feels. I'll see if I can make some game-time cuts and things like that and then go from there."

Gordon signed with the Pistons as a free agent after spending his first five seasons with the Bulls.

Ben Wallace is happy to be back in Detroit, but doesn't regret the time he spent in Chicago.

Wallace signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Bulls in 2006 after helping lead the Pistons to many successful seasons.

He was labeled as a bust when he failed to dominate and the Bulls soon shipped him to the Cavaliers.

"It wasn't a mistake," Wallace said of signing with Chicago. "At that time, I couldn't have played [in Detroit]. I would've been more of a distraction than a help. And that's the last thing I wanted to be.

"Our style had changed. Me and (then-coach Flip Saunders) constantly butted heads about what was best for the team. I had reached the end.

"But I never really left from the organization and the fans. They cheered me because they loved me. Then they booed me, which meant they still loved me but hated the fact I'm gone. This is where I belong."