Hoiberg says Wade is working hard to return for playoffs
The Bulls would probably need to make the playoffs for there to be any chance of Dwyane Wade playing again this season.
According to coach Fred Hoiberg, Wade is working and rehabbing with a mindset of returning this season. He has been out since March 15 with a sprain and small fracture in his right elbow.
"He's been out here shooting," Hoiberg said Wednesday at the Advocate Center. "He got a really good sweat in today, doing obviously a lot of noncontact stuff right now."
Hoiberg said they hope Wade responds well as they try to to increase his workload.
Wade's injury is to his shooting arm, so it's an encouraging sign that he's putting up shots with two weeks left in the regular season.
"He's a true pro," Hoiberg said. "He's in there working every day, he's in the weight room, he's on the treadmill, he's doing everything that he possibly can."
Nikola Mirotic suggested Wade is helping inspire teammates during the stretch run as the Bulls battle to reach at least eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
"We truly believe (he'll be back)," Mirotic said. "We see him every morning working, stretching, doing his treatments, sweating. So you can see that he really wants to get back too. It's important."
Close calls in playoff race:
Just about anything is possible in the tightly bunched Eastern Conference playoff race. The Bulls were a few seconds from pulling into a tie with Miami for eighth place on Tuesday, but the Heat won in Detroit on Hassan Whiteside's tip in at the buzzer.
Meanwhile, Tony Snell scored a career-high 26 points as Milwaukee won a big game in Charlotte. Paul George ripped his teammates after Indiana lost at home, and Atlanta snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating Phoenix at home.
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg admitted watching the final seconds of the Miami-Detroit game, which the Pistons led by 4 points with 30 seconds left.
"You have to go out and worry about yourselves at this time of year," he said. "It was a great finish for Miami, obviously, the way that game ended. But there's nothing you can do about that. You've got to worry about yourselves."
The Bulls own the tiebreaker against Miami, lose the tiebreaker to Atlanta and Milwaukee, and split season series with Detroit and Indiana.
Felicio back at practice:
Backup center Cristiano Felicio participated in all of Wednesday's practice. The Bulls will determine Thursday if he's ready to play against Cleveland after missing three games with a sore back.
"We'll see how he responds to the increased workload that he had today, but he did have a full contact practice," coach Fred Hoiberg said.