Bulls must heal fast before bid for playoffs slips away
After Wednesday's light workout, Bulls center Joakim Noah looked at James Johnson and made a confession.
"J.J., he got a slight (plantar fascia) tear in his foot and he's playing the next day," Noah said with a straight face. "That kind of made me feel a little soft."
Noah missed three weeks because of plantar fasciitis in his left foot, but this is no time to compare powers of recovery. The Bulls need everyone on board for the final eight games of the regular season.
Tuesday's 111-105 loss to Phoenix left them 1 1/2 games behind Toronto for the final playoff spot in the East. The Bulls need to finish 7-1 to have a reasonable chance of reaching the postseason, and a win at Toronto on April 11 is imperative.
The Bulls have two days off before playing Friday in Washington, which lost its 16th straight Tuesday in Houston.
"We still have a chance," Noah said. "We just have to stay focused and understand that in a matter of a few games, everything can change. We can't put our heads down. We have to focus on the task."
They also need as many healthy players as possible. Kirk Hinrich left Tuesday's game late in the second quarter with a sprained left ankle. He expressed some optimism that he'll be ready Friday.
"It's like the third time he sprained it," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Hopefully they can heal that thing up quick."
Luol Deng, out since March 9 with a calf strain, did some running and shooting Wednesday. He expects to start working his way back into the lineup this weekend.
"I don't know how much I'll play, but just try to go out there and start building," Deng said. "I haven't done anything on my leg, so it's a little weak and it gets tight real fast."
Noah is hoping to remove all restrictions on his playing time. He logged 27 minutes against Phoenix, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks, plus some solid defense on Amare Stoudemire. Del Negro said he's considered returning Noah to the starting lineup, but wants to check with the medical staff before making a decision.
"I've been telling them for a while that I want to play more minutes," Noah said. "I feel a lot better. I'm not limping. It's still tender and it swells up. I've got a little bit of pain, but nothing like it used to be."
Technical teammate: One regrettable play in Tuesday's loss was Joakim Noah getting a technical after the second quarter ended for arguing a flagrant foul call against teammate Chris Richard.
"I'm not surprised," said Richard, who also played with Noah at Florida. "That's just how he is. I think he's one of the best teammates I ever had. I don't think he should have (done it), but at the same time, I like it. I don't think he did anything wrong."
The flagrant call didn't really affect the game, because after Jared Dudley hit 2 free throws, the Suns regained possession with just 1.2 seconds left and didn't score.
"I don't think it was a flagrant, but (the referee) called it," Richard said. "Getting upset won't change anything."
JJ eyes recovery: James Johnson has been told he shouldn't need surgery when the season ends to fix a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his right foot, but he's open to anything.
"I don't want to keep getting it," Johnson said. "I'd rather it just be done with. So whatever that process takes, that's what I want."
After missing one game with the injury, Johnson was back in the starting lineup for the past two contests. He played 15 minutes in Tuesday's loss to Phoenix.