Phone calls tell Krause he has some marketable talent.

Byline: K.C. Johnson

CHICAGO _ A popular line of thinking as the Feb. 22 trading deadline approaches is that the Bulls will be hamstrung and their options limited by an unattractive talent pool. General Manager Jerry Krause disputed that theory Monday.

Asked if his team had players who were attractive to other teams, Krause didn't hesitate to respond: "By the calls we're getting we do," he said.

Coach Tim Floyd said "a couple calls" came during the Bulls' annual organizational meetings Monday. Center Brad Miller remains the most rumored trade bait, with Miami a potential suitor. But even with Krause proclaiming nobody untouchable, don't expect a blockbuster trade.

"There were some conversations this weekend, but not much," Krause said. "We have initiated some conversations. Other teams have initiated some conversations with me. But you don't really get serious until later on. If something is going to happen, it's going to happen late. That's just the way this league is."

Krause had an eye on both the future and the past Monday, detailing yet again some of last summer's failures to land desired veteran free agents and the ramifications of those failures. For instance, Krause waived Hersey Hawkins to make room for what he thought was the imminent signing of Glen Rice. He also didn't expect all six draft picks to be on the roster.

Both Tracy McGrady and Eddie Jones cited the desire to play near their hometowns as reasons for spurning the Bulls and signing with Orlando and Miami, respectively. Chicagoan Michael Finley will be one of the more attractive free agents this summer but is expected to remain in Dallas.

"I can't tell you what will happen this summer," Krause said. "I know in two cases last summer, hometowns played a factor."

Both Krause and Floyd scoffed at questions regarding Floyd's future.

"Unless [owner] Jerry [Reinsdorf] and Jerry don't want me, I'm not going anywhere," Floyd said.

Floyd was in little mood to discuss the incidents surrounding his one-game suspension and $10,000 fine for making contact with referee Greg Willard in Los Angeles last week. Privately, Floyd still insists he didn't bump Willard.

"The bottom line is, our team should know I'm out there still trying to fight for them a little bit," Floyd said.

Krause jokingly said he ordered Floyd to go fishing this weekend on his All-Star vacation to get away from everything. Countered a smiling Floyd, who watched Sunday's All-Star Game: "I don't always follow his orders."

This just in: Floyd, in the quote of the day, officially declared the team's franchise-worst 16-game losing streak as over.

"We scrimmaged out here, and the white team won one game and the red team won one game," Floyd said, smiling. "So it's ended. The streak is gone."

Injury update: Elton Brand returned from All-Star weekend and practiced Monday, saying the hyperextended right elbow that sidelined him for the Bulls' last game in Phoenix is feeling better.

"It's close to 100 percent," Brand said. "Sunday night, I was having some problems with it, but I had no problems at all in the practice."

And rookie guard A.J. Guyton, who turned 23 Monday, is fully recovered from his sprained right knee. But it's uncertain when Guyton will receive the present he would love_to be activated. Floyd already is struggling with his point-guard rotation, and adding a fourth player to the position would only complicate matters.

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