"The Bulls unofficially waived Keith Bogans on Dec. 9 when they pulled him from the floor moments before the first practice of training camp.

They made it official Friday, days before Monday's deadline for picking up his $1.73 million team option.

In starting all 82 regular- and 16 postseason games, Bogans drew criticism from fans seeking an upgrade at shooting guard. But coaches and teammates appreciated Bogans, praising his toughness and professionalism.

Asked one question about Bogans on Friday night, Ronnie Brewer, who battled for minutes with him, took 2 minutes, 18 seconds to answer.

"Man, he summed up our team," Brewer said. "He took the ego out of it. He did his job. Thibs asked him to start, play as hard as he possibly can. Sometimes he didn't get back in until the start of the third quarter, but you didn't hear him complain once.

"He brought it every day. He was a great teammate to me. He pushed me to work hard every day. He will be missed.""