Bulls’ Deng suffers wrist injury
Luol Deng has an injured left wrist and he missed Monday’s game against New Jersey. Other than that, his status is a little hazy.
Deng had an MRI exam on the wrist, but the Bulls announced no results and there is no official timetable for his return. Asked if Deng will need surgery, coach Tom Thibodeau seemed to be playing a hunch.
“I don’t think so, would be my guess,” Thibodeau said. “There are (doctors) he wants to talk to. He’s gone down this road with an injured wrist before. My guess is it will be day-to-day. He’s still gathering the information.”
Since he’s still consulting doctors, is there a ligament tear or something similar and he’s trying to decide whether he can play through it?
“I’m not sure,” Thibodeau said of a possible tear. “The thing with Lu is, Lu’s an old-school guy. He came in and goes, ‘My wrist is injured. I think I’ll be fine. I’ve got a couple more doctors I want to talk to,’ and we’re going to go from there. He said he’s able to move it and he’s feeling better today and he feels like it will be day-to-day. I’m good with that.”
Deng played in all 82 games last season and this was the first one he’s missed this year. So it was the end of an Ironman streak. He missed the playoffs with a torn ligament in his right wrist back in 2005.
“That’s what makes it significantly different — it’s his left wrist,” Thibodeau said.
Gibson anxious to return:Taj Gibson missed his second game Monday with a left ankle sprain, but felt encouraged about making a quick return to the lineup.#147;I#146;ve been icing it lately, the swelling has gone down and it#146;s been getting better,#148; he said. #147;Hopefully, by the end of the week or the next couple of days.#148;The Bulls called Gibson#146;s injury a high ankle sprain, but he reported there was little difference in pain between a high and low sprain. #147;The high was just my whole foot was basically turned in,#148; he said. #147;It was swollen pretty bad. The best thing is to make sure it#146;s not a lingering injury.#148;Hamilton hits milestone:With his first basket on Monday, a fast-break lay in midway through the first quarter, Richard Hamilton scored his 15,000th point. He#146;s the 120th player in NBA history to reach the plateau and one of 20 active players to do it.Bulls horns:Guard John Lucas III was cleared to play after missing a game with a groin strain. But with Derrick Rose back on the floor, neither Lucas nor Mike James saw action. #133; Even with Luol Deng sidelined, rookie forward Jimmy Butler didn#146;t play. Coach Tom Thibodeau stuck with veteran Brian Scalabrine, who logged 23 minutes. #133; Nets rookie shooting guard MarShon Brooks was a late scratch with a sore right Achilles.