Things got chippy for the Chicago Bulls during Monday's practice, but no punches were thrown, according to head coach Jim Boylen.
Veteran big man Robin Lopez was reportedly not happy with what took place during the practice session at Santa Monica high school in Los Angeles, California. The Bulls take on the Los Angles Lakers on Tuesday at Staples Center.
According to reports, Robin Lopez had to be removed by head coach Jim Boylen due to the situation.
Last season, Bulls power forward Bobby Portis punched teammate Nikola Mirotic in training camp. Mirotic suffered multiple facial fractures and Portis was suspended for eight games.
There's nothing wrong with having a competitive practice, especially for the Bulls, who are one of the worst teams in the NBA. Chicago is just 10-33 on the season and currently on a seven-game losing streak. Losing should make the players angry and force them to practice harder to try and get better.
However, it's also good that no punches were thrown. Last season's Portis-Mirotic incident was an ugly scene and stuff like that should never happen between teammates. Trash talking is acceptable, but fighting should never be allowed.
The Bulls are 5-14 since Jim Boylen took over for Fred Hoiberg. Chicago ranks last in the NBA in points per game, as the team is scoring only 100.9 points a night.