Bulls guard John Salmons was surprised by coach Vinny Del Negro's decision to bench him and center Brad Miller to start the second half on Tuesday night.

Salmons didn't expect the lineup change, even though Chicago was trailing New York by more than 20 points.

"The first thing I had to do was put my pride to the side," he said. "Now I just have to try to continue to focus on trying to help the team.

"It was a shock without a warning."

Salmons has struggled with his shot as of late and Del Negro has continually offered public support.

"He's just got to play through it and play with confidence and be aggressive and play the way he's capable of and make plays," Del Negro said. "Not always settle for jump shots, make plays off the dribble. Not only to score; make plays for teammates as well. He's just got to get back on track a little bit."