Health better, but Deng still iffy
Forward likely out till Sunday; Nocioni, Hinrich should play
By K.C. Johnson
Tribune staff reporter
January 10, 2008, 10:32 PM CST
With a critical four-game trip starting Friday in Philadelphia, the Bulls received good news on the injury and illness front Thursday.
Andres Nocioni and Kirk Hinrich practiced and are expected to play despite still feeling the effects of the flu.
Luol Deng, who has missed two games with left Achilles' tendinitis, participated in about half the workout and said he would test his injury at Friday's morning shootaround.
That said, Deng acknowledged he still has soreness and that athletic trainer Fred Tedeschi is leaning toward holding him out until Sunday's matinee in Atlanta.
"Just pushing off a little bit bothered me," Deng said. "I played live, kind of got in a rhythm a little bit, forgot about it. It's when you stop for a little while that you feel it.
"We think this [injury] is coming from my back. It has been a tough year for injuries. I never like missing games. But you have to deal with it and try to use this time to come back better."
