Hinrich sits as Bulls prep for Rose playoff return
CHICAGO — Kirk Hinrich did not practice Friday, and his status for Game 1 on Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals is uncertain as he recovers from a hyperextended right knee.
The good news for the Bulls is that coach Tom Thibodeau believes that Derrick Rose (sore left knee), Taj Gibson (left shoulder strain) and Joakim Noah (left knee/hamstring) will all be ready to go Saturday.
“They’ll roughly be around where they were,” Thibodeau said of Rose’s and Noah’s minutes. “When we’re at full strength we have good depth, so we’ll just see how it unfolds.”
The Bulls announced Friday that Hinrich is officially questionable while Rose, Gibson and Noah are listed as probable.
Noah sat out the final two games of the season, while Rose played only 10 minutes in the Bulls’ win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. Noah has been on a minutes restriction of about 32 minutes per game after offseason knee surgery. After speaking last week to team personnel, Noah said there would be no restrictions in the playoffs. Rose’s minutes have been watched closely all season, especially as he makes his way back from a Feb. 27 meniscectomy on his right knee.
Bulls GM Gar Forman and Thibodeau have danced around questions regarding specific minutes restrictions in recent days, but both players think they will be able to contribute whenever necessary in the postseason. Same goes for Gibson — who got a cortisone shot at halftime of Wednesday’s game.
As usual, the focus will be on Rose on Saturday night as he plays in his first postseason game since tearing the ACL in his left knee on April 28, 2012, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers.
“He looks good,” Bulls veteran Mike Dunleavy said after Friday’s practice. “I think [Wednesday] was a little bump in the road, but the last couple days he’s looked pretty good.”
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