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Bobby Portis is ready.

With Pau Gasol skipping the trip to New York after the quadruple overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons Friday, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said Portis will for the first time this season be in the rotation for Saturday’s game against the Knicks.

“Bobby is always attentive,” Hoibqerg said before the game. “He looks you in the eye. I told him last night on the plane to be ready, Pau wasn’t making the trip.
He said, ‘I’ve got you, coach, I’ve got you.’

“He’s just looking for opportunity,” said Hoiberg. “The kid is hungry. You see how much time and effort he puts into his game. This is what he lives for. He’s excited and I’m confident he’s going to go out and play well

“It is a great opportunity (for the reserves),” said Hoiberg. “We’ve got guys who have been starters, Jo (Noah starting for Pau Gasol) and Niko (Mirotic). That group has played well together and with great pace. I know Bobby is going to go out and play hard. I’m confident that group will give us energy tonight.

“I’m confident Bobby, whoever he is matched up against, is going to compete,” said Hoiberg. “He’s going to play physical and he’s going to run, run to the rim.
Bobby doesn’t care who he’s guarding. He’s can guard one through five. He’s just going to be happy to be out there.”

Hoiberg said the Bulls had been thinking about giving Gasol a game off, so this was a natural after the four overtimes.

“We were contemplating this as a game he might take off and last night the way the game was going this was the right things to do,” said Hoiberg of Gasol. “He’s been a little bit sore, so we decided to leave him home and get him ready for Monday. Jo will start. We’ll manage not only Derrick’s (Rose) minutes, but everybody’s minutes. Bobby hopefully will have to inject some energy.

“We’ll be cautious, we’ll be careful (with Gasol),” said Hoiberg. “He’s been a around this game a long time, he’s a hall of famer. We want him playing his best when it matters most at the end of the season.”

As for Portis, he said he’s ready.

“With basketball it’s about confidence,” Portis said pregame. “I’m always a confident person. It has been a long time since I’ve known I’m going to play. I think the last time I knew I was going to play was preseason. Other than that, it’s been a difficult time. But I feel I’ve worked for this moment and prepared myself for the moment, also.

“Can’t get too low or too low,” Portis said. “Stay even keel. Just trying to stay who I am. Not trying to get overexcited, not trying to down grade it also because this is a big opportunity for me to show the coaching staff what I have been working on and what I can do.

“I don’t care what I play,” Portis said. “I just want to get out there. I can play center; I can play power forward. I’m a combo guy. I can do a lot of different things. I’m going to take it and run with where he puts me, I’ll play as hard as I can. That’s one thing I know I’m going to do. When I get out there play as hard as I can.”