Chicago Bulls' Wade sits with swelling in knee
Dwyane Wade was scratched from the Chicago Bulls' lineup Monday due to swelling in his right knee.
Coach Fred Hoiberg didn't think an MRI would be needed and felt optimistic Wade will be ready to face Cleveland on Wednesday.
"Just got a little bit of swelling in there. It's not sore," Hoiberg said. "He said it's happened from time to time in his career."
This was Wade's third missed game of the season and the first since Dec. 3 at Dallas. He played in back-to-back games last weekend against Indiana and Milwaukee. Wade scored just 8 points against the Bucks on Saturday.
"He had a little bit of soreness after the game," Hoiberg said. "It was a tough week with five games in seven nights. We decided to play him in the back-to-back because of the early game the day before."
The game at Indiana tipped off at 3 p.m. Central time, and the Bucks have been a tough matchup for all the Bulls this season, so Hoiberg doesn't think this experience necessarily means they should be more cautious with Wade on back-to-backs. The Bulls play on consecutive days four times in January.
"We'll continue to probably take it on a game-by-game basis," Hoiberg said. "It's something we have met about as a staff and we'll see how it plays out going forward."
Rondo helps out:
After his interview with reporters Saturday, Rajon Rondo walked over and had a chat with teammate Michael Carter-Williams in the locker room. Carter-Williams started his first game for the Bulls that night, while Rondo didn't play at all.
"He's obviously a veteran in this league. I ask him a lot of questions; he helps me out," Carter-Williams said of his relationship with Rondo. "He's great. We're teammates; we help each other through thick and thin, through good times and bad times, with the team or individually.
"Whatever he's going through, I'm always there for him. I know whatever I'm going through, I know he's there for me."
The same plan was in effect for Monday's game against Charlotte. Carter-Williams started at point, and Hoiberg wouldn't commit to playing time for Rondo.
"We'll see how everything goes," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "I had a good talk with (Rondo) again this morning. He was in good spirits again at shootaround. He was talking to our young guys. He's handled this situation as well as he possibly can."
Bull horns:
Doug McDermott started in place of the injured Dwyane Wade on Monday. It was McDermott's first start of the season and just his fifth start in 139 games played for the Bulls. … Charlotte played without center Cody Zeller (concussion) and guard Marco Belinelli (ankle). … Before Monday, the Bulls shot below 40 percent from the field in four of the previous six games.