Now that Kirk Hinrich is starting in place of the injured Derrick Rose, he finally admitted that not being part of the first five has been a challenge.

"It's been challenging at times trying to stay with it," he acknowledged. "I've been playing well but in somewhat limited minutes.

"It's a different mind-set coming off the bench. You try to bring energy and give your team a lift. As a starter, you know you're going to play more minutes, and it's more getting off to a good start in both halves and finishing games strong. But if you play long enough in this league, you probably have to be able to do both."