Eight games remain until an offseason in which general manager John Paxson hopes to make major changes.

Meanwhile, Eddie Robinson is rooted to the bench, Tyson Chandler's role is diminished and Jamal Crawford rarely plays fourth-quarter minutes anymore.

These playing-time issues could hurt whatever trade value these players have. But if that's the case, management isn't letting on.

From Day 1 of his tenure, coach Scott Skiles has been resolute in giving playing time to those he believes work and play the hardest. In the fourth quarter of Monday's loss in Miami, that meant 12 minutes for Ronald Dupree, 11 for Jannero Pargo and eight for formerly forgotten man Marcus Fizer.

"I'm simply trying to find any group of guys who play with intensity," Skiles said.

Skiles also discounted the theory that even those who won't be back with the Bulls have nothing for which to play.

"It's foolish if guys are thinking that," he said. "Common sense would dictate that the better year you have, even if you're going to go somewhere else, the more [money] you're going to get."

NEW YORK (AP) Chicago Bulls forward-center Tyson Chandler was suspended for one game without pay by the NBA on Monday for throwing a punch at Atlanta's Michael Bradley.

Chandler, who tried to hit Bradley in Chicago's loss to the Hawks on Saturday night, sat out the Bulls' game Monday night against the Miami Heat.

Is it about time the NBA got serious about establishing a viable minor-league system?  While the Continental Basketball Association and the National Basketball Development League are nice, as Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel writes they are just not doing enough for the game.

Imagine how much it would have benefited Magic rookie point guard Reece Gaines to be sent down for seasoning? Or Magic center Zaza Pachulia? Or Detroit center Darko Milicic, the No. 2 pick in last year's draft?

Instead of languishing on the bench, Gaines could have repaired his broken confidence -- and maybe his shot. Then he could have been called back up from the minors to the majors without the Magic losing his rights.

Players in the Continental Basketball Association and the National Basketball Development League, which has NBA ties, are brought up routinely in a procedure similar to those in baseball and hockey. But it's never worked the other way with youngsters and rookies already in the NBA.

"I like the idea. That would be terrific," Magic Coach Johnny Davis said. "I think that's something that is needed for our league. Baseball does it."

Chicago is experiencing first hand the effects of players coming into the league too young and taking longer than expected to develop.  While Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford have all shown flashes - some bright - in their young NBA careers thus far, all three would have benefited from a minor system which allowed them to hone their skills under the watchful eye of the Bulls rather than lose big and often.

Maybe Portland would not have given up on a young teen named Jermaine O'Neal if there was a minor-league alternative.

The idea would have its rules.  Schmitz' idea is to limit the concept to a player's first two seasons. Or maybe even expand NBA rosters or allow flexibility. Teams would retain rights to players, maybe several clubs -- say Orlando, Miami and Atlanta -- could field a farm team in a joint venture.

As one league scout and former coach says, "It would be a win-win deal. We really need it now with all the young guys coming in. Guys who sit on the bench for a year or two lose their value."

With yet another draft containing a strong High School representation something has to be done.

If Scottie Pippen retires at the end of this season, he could be setting himself up for another career. Pippen filmed a scene for "Playas Ball," a film bankrolled and produced by former Portland teammate Dale Davis. "I'm part of the Screen Actors Guild," Pippen said, joking.

In an eerie coincidence, the movie is about an NBA player who is falsely accused of rape, though it was completed before Kobe Bryant's travails began. "I did my cameo in one or two takes," Pippen said. "We just shot my scene in an Atlanta hotel room where I give a testimonial. I don't know if Dale kept me in there or not. I may be on the cutting-room floor."

The movie is scheduled for an April 22 premiere in Portland, Ore.

With temperatures in the 80s and loss totals in the 50s, some Bulls players were eager to board their bus, which was idling outside a local high school after practice on Sunday.

But Jannero Pargo lingered, shooting jumpers with assistant coach Ron Adams.

When he finished, Pargo didn't want to talk about his team-leading averages of 24 points and 7.5 assists in the two games since he prominently entered coach Scott Skiles' rotation.

The diminutive point guard discussed his defensive deficiencies.

"I need to do a better job of picking up on defense," Pargo said. "I'm playing hard, but I'm not playing smart enough to know when I have a quicker guy in front of me to back up and give him space."

"There are areas, especially defensively, that he has to improve on to stay in the league and be a factor," Skiles said. "But not many guys can shoot the ball like him. That's always going to warrant a second look.

"He brings something to the table that we haven't had and that appears to be a pretty consistent shooter."

After completing what by all accounts was a dominant practice, a sweaty and smiling Scottie Pippen walked off the Berto Center court Thursday.

Five minutes later, his happiness mixed with reality when he wore two ice packs the size of small mammals around both knees.

"I still have the same problems," Pippen said. "Make the wrong turn and [the knees] get very irritated. I'll have to see how my knees respond. I'm not going to make any decisions right now. But I will get a better feel for whether or not I'm able to play again."

Play again this season or next?

"Ever again," Pippen said.

CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Bulls activated forward Marcus Fizer on Thursday and placed forward Paul Shirley on the injured list with a bruised kidney.

The Bulls also signed Shirley and guard Jannero Pargo for the rest of the season.

Fizer had missed the past 10 games with a sprained left ankle.

Shirley was hurt when he collided with Indiana's Austin Croshere on Monday, an injury that put him out for the season.

CHICAGO (AP) Chicago Bulls forward Paul Shirley will miss the rest of the season after bruising his kidney in Monday night's loss to the Pacers.

Shirley was hospitalized when the Bulls returned from Indianapolis and remained there Tuesday, Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. X-rays were negative.

``He was in a lot of pain. It was a bad flight for him. It was a struggle,'' Skiles said. ``We were worried about him for sure.''

The 6-foot-10, 230-pound Shirley was injured with 5:34 left Monday night after a collision with the Pacers' Austin Croshere.

Shirley joined the Bulls from the ABA's Kansas City Knights and signed two 10-day contracts, the second one March 15. He averaged three points in seven games with Chicago.

So how did the Knicks lose to the Bulls on Saturday?  Judging my recent comments what you come away with might be dependant on what time you ask.

Lenny Wilkens, the man at the helm of the Knicks, didn't exactly clear the air yesterday when he twice altered his account of what had transpired. At the Knicks' morning shootaround, Wilkens stuck with his original story that he told Shandon Anderson to foul Jamal Crawford with Chicago leading 83-81 and a 2.7 second differential between the game clock and the shot clock.

"I was telling Shandon to give the foul at half court," Wilkens said early yesterday. "He grabbed the guy but they didn't call anything."

However, 90 minutes before last night's game against the Hawks, Wilkens said hadn't wanted to foul but instead wanted the Knicks to play defense. Wilkens reasoned that he wanted to avoid falling behind by three with Tim Thomas and Allan Houston both sidelined by injuries.

"I wanted them up and real aggressive," Wilkens said. "Then if there's a foul that's fine. We had just stopped them the time before."

The Bulls, leading by two, took possession with 26.7 seconds remaining. Crawford held his dribble until Anderson went for a steal. Crawford spun past Anderson and passed the ball to Kendall Gill, who quickly passed back to Crawford. With the shot clock winding down and Penny Hardaway chasing him, Crawford hit a fadeaway jumper with 3.6 seconds left.

Immediately after the game, Wilkens insisted that he had screamed for Anderson to foul and that Anderson had been unable to hear those instructions over the crowd noise. Television replays showed Wilkens signaling for a foul by tapping his forearms together.

Anderson, though, continued to stick to his original version that at no point did Wilkens instruct him to foul.

"You can't be turning your head without losing your guy," Anderson said. "It was hard to get a feel on what he (Wilkens) was saying."

So, what did happen?