McGraw: Bulls' McDermott may return this weekend
The Bulls suffered a new injury Wednesday when Joakim Noah turned his right ankle just before halftime and did not return, but they should get another player back soon.
Coach Tom Thibodeau estimated rookie Doug McDermott might be ready for game action by this weekend. He hasn't played since Nov. 30 and had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Dec. 13.
McDermott wasn't contributing much early in the season. But if he gets comfortable, he could supply some outside shooting, which always helps.
"He's pretty close. He's doing just about everything on the court now," Thibodeau said before Wednesday's game. "We just want to make sure the next day he's fine."
McDermott missed valuable time, considering he needs to get used to NBA competition, but Thibodeau suggested the bright side is the Bulls have gotten better looks at Tony Snell and E'Twaun Moore.
Dunleavy not ready to run:
Mike Dunleavy, meanwhile, appears to be farther away from a return. He missed his seventh straight game Wednesday with a right ankle injury.
"I'm just now past the point of hurting to walk," Dunleavy told reporters at Wednesday's shootaround. "So I'm more comfortable walking now. I'm not yet to the point I can run without pain. It's definitely been a process. I'm starting to do a little bit more on the court, but I got to work my way up to being able to run so that's sort of the challenge right now."
Big men still meshing:
One of the puzzles for the Bulls is how to get both Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol playing at a high level. Gasol has done very well since joining the Bulls, but Noah's production is down, especially this month. Noah talked about that Tuesday.
"Offensively, we have a lot more isolations this year compared to last year. My role is different," Noah said. "But at the end of the day, we've just got to find ways to win. It's not about me. It's about this team and finding ways to win ballgames. We've got to find ways to be more effective."
Noah has never been a big scorer, anyway. But he and Gasol also need to click defensively.
"I think it's still a work in progress," Noah said. "We can still get a lot better. Pau's in a groove offensively. We've just got to find ways defensively to make it work as well."
Off target:
After a great start, Jimmy Butler has hit a shooting slump. Heading into Wednesday's action, Butler shot 28.9 percent from the field in the previous four games, while averaging 13 points.
… In news involving Eastern Conference contenders, Toronto's DeMar DeRozan returned to the court Wednesday after missing 21 games with a groin injury.