Mike Dunleavy Out Wednesday, Could Sit Until After All-Star Break
(CBS) The return of injured Bulls forward Mike Dunleavy is still uncertain.
Chicago has ruled Dunleavy out of Wednesday's game at Houston, the 17th straight game he will miss with what the team has called a jammed right ankle. And it remains possible the Bulls could hold Dunleavy out until after the All-Star break, he admitted.
"That may be what ends up happening, but I hope not," Dunleavy said. "I want to play. I want to play as soon as I can without risking any more damage."
Dunleavy injured the ankle on Jan. 1 and said Tuesday it's "worse than a sprained ankle, obviously." In addition to the strained ligaments, Dunleavy has a bone bruise, coach Tom Thibodeau said.
"I wish I had an answer, and sometimes there isn't an answer," Thibodeau said. "So you just have to be patient and allow him to work through it. That's really the case. We thought it was a short-term thing. Obviously, it's taken longer than we thought."
Chicago's first game after the All-Star break is Feb. 20 at Detroit. It has five games before then, including Wednesday at Houston.
"It's feeling a little bit better," Dunleavy said. "It's just been a long process. It probably turned out to be a little worse than anyone imagined. I'm just dealing with it. It's kind of got a mind of its own."
Dunleavy can get around fine in normal activity and laterally but still can't run, he said.
"When I ultimately have to start running, that's the problem," Dunleavy said.
