Nocioni out 7-10 days with plantar fasciitis
Nocioni, who underwent an MRI on Monday and was inactive against the Utah Jazz, has plantar fasciitis in his right foot -- inflammation or small tears on the fibrous band of tissue that connects the heel bone to the base of the toes.
''It was what we expected; right now, it's seven to 10 days,'' Nocioni said of his projected absence. ''I have a little pain. I need to see how I feel each day. If I feel better, I can practice a little and then play, but I think seven to 10 days.
''I've had pain for two weeks, maybe more. But I could play with the pain. The other day at Portland in the second quarter, I feel something different. I think, 'That's it, now it's worse.' Then the next morning, it was difficult to walk.''
Nocioni, who is averaging 15 points and six rebounds, said he will wear a brace for the next couple of days.
''It was good news, the fact he didn't have anything torn in there,'' coach Scott Skiles said. ''It just showed inflammation. I wouldn't say he's day-to-day. I'd say we're going to have to sit on him a little bit. He's been playing hurt, and we don't want to have him continue playing hurt the rest of the year. We want to bring it to an end.''
If Nocioni is out 10 days, that would take him to the All-Star break, which would give him a few more days to recover. But Nocioni is hardly the type of player to baby an injury. He has sat out only two games since joining the Bulls before the 2004-05 season, and one of those was because of a suspension this season.
''You have to leave it up to the player ultimately,'' Skiles said. ''If the guy says he can go and he wants to, you let a guy go. Unless you see something on an X-ray or something and you know he shouldn't go. We'll see. I'm inclined to hold it for a while here.''
NOTE: Bulls rookie forward Tyrus Thomas was one of four players to accept invitations to participate in the slam-dunk contest during All-Star weekend in Las Vegas. Thomas, the first Bulls player to take part since Scottie Pippen in 1990, will be joined by defending champion Nate Robinson of New York, Dwight Howard of Orlando and Gerald Green of Boston.
The judges might draw more attention. Former slam-dunk champions Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Julius Erving, Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter will serve in that role.