Richard Hamilton will miss his 13th straight game as he continues to rehab from a right thighgroin injury but with his activity picking up, he could return to the court after the All-Star break.
He is doing a lot more, said Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. Hes taking on contact now, which is a good sign, so well see where we are when we get back.
Hamilton has missed a total of 23 games this season dealing with a bothersome groin injury.
He originally sustained the injury on Dec. 30 in the Bulls 114-104 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. He finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds and played 31 minutes.
Hamilton missed the next two games and returned on Jan. 4 to face his former club, the Detroit Pistons. He went on to score 14 points to go along with 5 assists in 32 minutes, but re-aggravated the injury and missed the next eight games, before returning to play in five straight.
He would be shut down the next and last before returning to play his last game against the Miami Heat on Jan. 29 before the team shut him down to fully heal.
The Bulls first game after the break will be against the New Orleans Hornets next Tuesday before they head out on a three-game road trip.
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The Bulls priority during Hamiltons rehab has been to make sure he is completely ready to go, as to avoid having him miss any more time than he already has.
We want to make sure hes completely healthy, said Thibodeau. Once he shows he can handle the practice part than well go forward.
Hamilton is averaging 14.2 points and 3.6 assists this season.