Some rookie named Thabo Sefolosha (pronounced ''Who the hell is that?'') bothered him, too.

Ya know.. the only way you could have annoyed me more by mentioning Dan LeRetard was to post his image next to the quote block

Get to know Thaboposted: Sunday, April 22, 2007 | Print Entry
filed under: Thabo Sefolosha, Chicago Bulls

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Before the Heat headed back to Miami for the two-day break between Games 1 and 2, they vowed to do their homework on Chicago's Thabo Sefolosha, the rookie who was surprisingly effective defending Dwyane Wade in the series opener.

I'll leave the X's and O's of deciphering Sefolosha's game to Pat Riley and his capable assistants, and I'll merely provide a little background material about the 22-year-old from Switzerland whom I spoke with after practice Sunday morning at the Bulls' workout facility. So without further ado, here are 10 things you probably didn't know about Sefolosha.

• On the top of his left arm is a tattoo of a basketball adorned with a crown, surrounded by the words: "The game chose me." "That's a good way to say that maybe I wasn't meant to play basketball, but it chose me," he said.

• Sefolosha did not pick up a basketball until he was 11 or 12, but he liked it so much the first time he tried it at a neighbor's urging that he gave up playing soccer and volleyball.

• Sefolosha was chosen with the 13th pick in last year's draft, the Bulls making a deal with Philadelphia to trade up from No. 16 because they feared the Phoenix Suns were going to make a move to get him.

• Sefolosha was quote-unquote discovered by Bulls chief European scout Ivica Dokan, a Croatian credited with also discovering Toni Kukoc. Like Sefolosha, who went pro at 17, Dokan once played in the Swiss league.

• Sefolosha said the most difficult player he ever defended in Europe was Joe Smith. No, it's not the Joe Smith who went No. 1 overall in the 1995 NBA draft, it's the Joe Smith who was Player of the Year in the Gulf South Conference in 2000-01 for Division II Alabama-Huntsville.

• You'll hear the phrase "long-armed defender" in the days and years ahead when Sefolosha's name comes up, so it'll be good to know that his wingspan is 7 feet.

• Like all male Swiss citizens, Sefolosha is expected to become a member of the Swiss army. He has received deferrals because of his employment overseas, but he is still expected to spend six months in military training before he turns 27. And no, he does not sound too excited about it, although he did note that he'd be able to learn everything there is to know about the capabilities of an actual Swiss Army Knife.

• Sefolosha speaks with something vaguely resembling a French accent. Asked who his favorite team was growing up, he said "The Bools."

• Chicago assistant coach Jim Boylan's first professional coaching job was in Vevey, Switzerland, Sefolosha's hometown, and Boylan's oldest daughter, Jessie, was born 10 days before Sefolosha in the same town. (Thanks to information font extrordinaire K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune for that one).

• The best American players in the Swiss league when Sefolosha was a teenager were Sedale Threatt and Herb Johnson.