Rip Hamilton returned from injury too soon
By Neil Hayes nhayes@suntimes.com January 7, 2012 10:08PM
Bulls backup center Omer Asik tries to block Hawks guard Jannero Pargo’s reverse layup in the second half Saturday night. | John Amis~AP
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Updated: February 10, 2012 8:46AM
ATLANTA — When Rip Hamilton was asked whether he’d play Saturday night against the Hawks, he rolled his eyes, making his answer obvious.
“It takes time, man,” Hamilton said of his sore groin. “I probably shouldn’t have played [against Detroit], but you couldn’t keep me off that floor.”
Hamilton injured his groin in a Dec. 30 victory over the Clippers and came back too soon to play against his former teammates in Detroit and reaggravated it. It could be several days before Hamilton is ready to return, although coach Tom Thibodeau maintains he’s day-to-day.
“The thing that’s difficult right now is he’s not practicing, so you don’t really know what he can do and what he can’t do,” Thibodeau said. “We just want to be smart.”
Hamilton was in uniform on the bench against the Magic and Hawks even though he didn’t play. NBA rules require players to wear a uniform or a jacket on the bench. Because Hamilton didn’t bring a jacket on the three-city trip, he has been wearing his uniform so as not to violate rules.
Ronnie Brewer made his second consecutive start for the Bulls. At Thibodeau’s request, Brewer worked on extending his range and has made six of seven three-pointers this season. He’s averaging 7.1 points.
“He’s a better shooter than people give him credit for,” Thibodeau said. “We see it every day. We see how hard he works at it. He’s gained a lot of confidence. He has always been a very good mid-range shooter, and now he has extended that out. He’s put a lot of work into it. He’s shooting it well right now.”
C.J. Watson is no longer wearing a sling on his sprained left elbow, although he was wearing a sleeve to protect it before the game. The backup point guard injured his elbow in the home opener against Memphis. He said he hopes to return to the court next week.
Rose no MJ
Derrick Rose was asked if he feels as if he’s playing in the shadow of Michael Jordan.
“I try not to think about it,” he said. “If you get caught up in that, that’s when things go wrong. We’re two different types of players. His résumé speaks for itself. This is only my fourth year in the league. We can’t compare each other. He won championships. I haven’t even made it to the Finals yet. There’s no comparison at all. That’s somebody I look up to as a player. He’s the greatest player. That’s the way I look at things.”
