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You wonder if Lindsey Hunter wanted to go home after watching his first six minutes in a Bulls uniform Thursday, the Mavs sprinting away to a 24-5 lead that found home fans booing. The boos turned to cheers a few minutes later as Ben Gordon reeled off a run of jumpers and Derrick Rose contributed another play for the post season highlight package with a no look bounce pass to a streaking Luol Deng for a slam dunk. First quarter: Mavs 28-22.

Drew Gooden returned from his ankle sprain and Larry Hughes made his season debut after dislocating his shoulder late in the preseason.

I had an interesting conversation with Hunter before the game when I noted he wasn’t the classic point guard, more a shot-out-of-the-cannon reserve energy player and three-point shooter.

"It depends on what you call a classic point guard," said Hunter somewhat defiantly, though without any rancor as he’s a very approachable guy. "I’m a point guard. What is a classic point guard? You tell me?"

I mentioned some reserves like Kevin Ollie to avoid the obvious of Chris Paul and Steve Nash, but Hunter interrupted.

"I always try to tell people the prototype point guard doesn’t exist," said Hunter. "I tell kids coming into the league or in college who are confused on what to be. I say, ‘Be who you are.’ You’re a point guard who just so happens to be able to score or are athletic.

"I’ve got an eight-year-old son who is a phenomenal athlete," said Hunter. "I say whatever he is he’s a point guard. My 13-year-old is a tremendous shooter. He said, ‘Dad, I’m a shooting guard.’ I said, ‘No, you’re a point guard. I don’t care if they grow to 6-10. They’re point guards."

Hunter said he wasn’t sure about playing again after the Pistons didn’t bring him back. He lives in the Detroit area and said he and his wife agreed if he returned it would either be "somewhere close or somewhere warm.

"I was coaching my son, spending time helping my wife around the house, going to the parent-teacher conference, things I’d never been to," said Hunter. "It was kind of hard to leave, especially in the middle of school. If I’d never played again I was happy what I accomplished. I’d be able to look back and say I was successful, God blessed me to make a lot of money dribbling a basketball. But this opportunity came. My wife, Ivy, is from the South Side, the Hyde Park area. Her family is there. It made a lot of sense."

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