Oct. 12, 2007

Chicago, Ill. - By K.c. Johnson
Tribune staff reporter

Taking advantage of minor injuries to Ben Gordon and Thabo Sefolosha, Thomas Gardner did nothing to hurt his chances of signing a non-guaranteed contract if the Bulls choose to keep 15 players.

Gardner started at shooting guard Tuesday night against the Bucks and finished with seven points, two assists and no turnovers in 25 minutes.

"He has played well," coach Scott Skiles said. "He has a nice body and is a good defender. He doesn't try to do too much. He has nice strength. He made one of the most athletic plays I've seen since I've been the coach here."

That would be Gardner's resounding fast-break dunk in traffic that culminated in a three-point play late in the third quarter.

"I got text messages and phone calls from a lot of people," Gardner said after practice Wednesday. "It was exciting. My first ever NBA game, I got a chance to start, and I was able to make 'SportsCenter' too. I just wish we would have won."

Gardner, a Missouri product, played professionally in Belgium last season, then hooked up with the Bulls' summer league teams. At 6 feet 5 inches and 225 pounds, he has played well even when not shooting great, typically his strength.

"We have enough of a library of him making shots that we think he can do that," Skiles said. "Whether he can do that consistently, I'm not sure yet."