True Flu or Blue Flu for Tyrus Thomas?

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Nov 4, 2009 3:20PM

During Tuesday's morning shoot around, the Bulls sent power forward home Tyrus Thomas home with "flu-like symptoms." Thomas missed the Bulls dramatic comeback win against the Milwaukee Bucks last night, with rookie Taj Gibson starting in his place.

But many want to know... does Thomas really have the flu? Or does the fourth year player simply have a "blue flu?" If he really is ill, then the timing was unfortunate. But given the events of the past week, many question whether Thomas was faking. The sudden illness came just hours after the deadline passed for players in his draft year to sign long-term extensions, which he did not receive from the Bulls. Earlier in the week, he sat for the entire fourth quarter in a game against Miami and reportedly objected to criticism by coach Vinny del Negro during a recent film session.

If Thomas is faking to get back at the club for his recent treatment, it's not going to help. His lack of consistent effort on the court is the reason for his lack of crunch time playing time and the reason the team balked at locking him up for the long term. While he hasn't complained to the press publicly about these recent events, pretending to have the flu if not really sick speaks volumes about his commitment to the team. As Steve Rosenbloom suggested in his column, perhaps the treatment for this flu is a trade.