"After busting out for 41 points on 16-for-31 shooting in the first two games of the road trip, John Salmons has raised his average to 14 points and his shooting percentage to .357.

He was averaging 12.6 points on 31.7 percent shooting when the Bulls began the five-game Western road trip and was mired in a horrific slump.

So after putting together two solid performances in a row -- including 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting despite second-half foul trouble in the Bulls' 108-93 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night -- Salmons was asked after practice Friday if he was back.

''I'm just taking it one game at a time,'' he said with a big smile.

''I'm feeling better. I'm sure you saw me taking extra shots after practice, but I wasn't really concerned. I took extra shots before practice and after practice just trying to get a rhythm back. The biggest thing for me is just keeping the faith.''

Despite some ugly shooting lines during Salmons' struggles, coach Vinny Del Negro never lost faith.

''It was just a matter of time for him,'' Del Negro said. ''He's too good of a player. He knows how important he is for us.

''He's a slasher, he's a scorer, and I thought maybe at times he was relying too much on his jumper instead of really attacking the basket. But he'll pick his spots, and he's really difficult to guard in the open court.''

Although Salmons technically is replacing Ben Gordon in the starting lineup, he's a completely different player than the sharp-shooting Gordon, who never passed up a three-pointer."