<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p> <h3>Dirty Or Just Aggressive</h3> </p> <div class="txt-even"> Andres Nocioni | <font color="#000000">Bulls</font> | What: Style Of Play</p> </p> </div> The Lakers' Lamar Odom suggested Andres Nocioni, who sat most of the second half Sunday with three fouls, wears an elbow wrap on his right arm for more than health.</p> </p> ''He likes to throw it around a little bit,'' Odom said.</p> </p> ''He's not a dirty player,'' said Bulls guard Ben Gordon. ''He's just an aggressive player. A lot of guys don't like that.'' -- <font color="#000000">Chicago Sun-Times</font></p> </p> </p> [*]Andres Nocioni was having a good laugh after Saturday's win over the Clippers about Tim Thomas, who smacked Nocioni to draw a flagrant foul after Nocioni almost provoked Ruben Patterson into a fight with a flagrant foul. </p> "Maybe [Thomas] has some problem with me because I play in Chicago and he doesn't," Nocioni said. "Maybe he wanted to wear my number when he played in Chicago."</p> </p> Nocioni had taken a hard shot on a previous possession and didn't argue his flagrant against Patterson. But Patterson still was irate:</p> </p> "They shouldn't allow that type of nonsense. He should have been kicked out of the game. He didn't even try to swipe at the ball. He went straight for my face. He's known for being dirty like that." -- <font color="#000000">Chicago Tribune</font></p> </p></div> </p>
"Maybe [Thomas] has some problem with me because I play in Chicago and he doesn't," Nocioni said. "Maybe he wanted to wear my number when he played in Chicago."</p> </p>
In all sports, the players learn to use dirty tricks. In football, you pinch a guy's nipples against his shoulder pads and it really hurts! In basketball, you step on a guy's foot while boxing out and give him a good shove and the guy comes away limping. There's all kinds of other similar tricks and the Bulls are widely accused of using them. I know Wade has complained about Hinrich grabbing at him and pinching him while fighting through screens and the like.</p> Nocioni is dubbed a dirty player, but he's also the kind of player you want on your team (instead of having to face him).</p> </p>
