Bulls' Noah steps carefully with increasing his work

Each morning when he wakes up, Bulls center Joakim Noah dreads taking that first step on his left foot.

These days, Noah is feeling fine, as evidenced Tuesday when he sprinted up and down the court for 15 minutes after practice to improve his conditioning.

But plantar fasciitis is a tricky injury and there's no guarantee it won't come back sometime during the final three weeks of the regular season.

"Every morning when I wake up and don't feel that pain, it's a bright spot," Noah said after catching his breath. "You wake up in the morning and are always scared that you're going to get that horrible feeling where you feel like you can hardly walk, knowing that you have a game that same day, going to push against those big bodies.

"(Plantar fasciitis) is no joke, especially because running is a big part of my game. When I don't have that, it's tough. I feel pretty good right now and have just got to keep it up."

Noah made his return on Saturday in Philadelphia, playing for the first time since Feb. 26. He logged 9 minutes against the Sixers, then took a minor jump to 12 minutes during Monday's 98-88 win over Houston.

With two days of conditioning work, Noah's playing time figures to make a bigger increase on Thursday when the Bulls host Miami in a game with modest playoff implications. As of Tuesday morning, the sixth-place Heat were 3 1/2 games ahead of the Bulls. Toronto and Charlotte were tied for seventh, 2 1/2 games in front of the Bulls.

"They want to play me three segments instead of two. That's encouraging," Noah said. "I'm just trying to do the best I can to control my conditioning. I'm feeling a little bit tired and fragile out there. So I just have to get back in condition, get my balance right - just get going and the only way I can do that is to get back on the court."

Noah has been reasonably effective in his return to the court. He has totaled 11 points and 10 rebounds in a combined 21 minutes of action. On Monday against the Rockets, he didn't play in the second half until the final six minutes of the fourth quarter.

"Jo, in the past, he loses his conditioning quickly, so we have to build up his endurance as quick as we can, but do it in a smart way," coach Vinny Del Negro said.

As long as Noah feels no pain in his foot, his minute count should be limited by how fast he gets back in playing shape.

"I think I can play more, but it's also a question of being effective on the court," he said. "When you're hurt like that, it puts a lot of things in perspective. You don't take anything for granted.

"You're not worried about what's going to happen next season. You're just really focused on enjoying the moment and enjoying playing basketball."