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Still no timetable for Chicago Bulls' Mirotic's return to practice

With the Bulls back in town after an unsuccessful week on the West Coast, some attention will return to the Nikola Mirotic saga.

Mirotic worked out on his own while the team was out of town and it's possible he'll be ready soon to join practice. Mirotic was sidelined with facial fractures and a concussion after an Oct. 17 altercation during practice with Bobby Portis. The initial prognosis was 4-6 weeks.

"Niko had a really good week of workouts. He's continuing to ramp up his activity," coach Fred Hoiberg said Sunday. "He had good strength workouts and he's increasing his workload on the floor, so we're hoping to get him back with the team shortly."

The problem is, Mirotic and Portis have not spoken since the altercation and it's not clear if Mirotic is willing to return to practice and resume battling Portis in scrimmages.

"Niko's been in the building with our team, guys have been in there with him," Hoiberg said. "Still working on his own as he continues along the rehab process, but yeah, things have been going well from that standpoint."

"Not sure exactly where we are with that (Mirotic being cleared to practice), with us being away. Should have a better idea here soon."

Mirotic has not attended any games during his recovery.

LaVine going slow:

After the Bulls lost consecutive games to Utah and Golden State by a combined 79 points, the natural question to ask is how soon will Zach LaVine be ready for game action?

The answer is unclear, but it sounds like that moment is still a few weeks away.

"It's still very early in the process," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "We have a tentative schedule as far as how we're going to go about moving forward. But a lot will depend on how Zach feels and responds to these full-contact practices. We'll take it slow. No reason to rush him back at this time. But he's itching to get back out there and is excited to be back part of the team."

LaVine tore the ACL in his left knee last Feb. 3 while playing for Minnesota. His rehab has gone well, but doctors wanted a full nine months to pass before taking contact. His first full practice with the Bulls was last Monday in Los Angeles.

"Zach's been awesome. He had a really good workout this morning, played some one-on-one over at the Advocate Center," Hoiberg said. "He played 3-on-3 at the University of San Francisco and showed some unbelievable abilities with his athleticism and ability to create his own shot.

"It's fun to see a player of his ability running the floor. He shoots it with ease. He has great range. He can really attack the basket and make plays. It's fun as a staff to see what we're going to be able to do when we do get him back."

Bulls horns:

Guard David Nwaba, out since Nov. 4 with a sprained right ankle, is expected to return to practice Monday. … Backup center Cristiano Felicio received his first "did not play, coach's decision" of the season on Sunday. After signing a four-year, $32 million extension this summer, Felicio is averaging 3.6 points and 3.3 rebounds.

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