Rehabbing Bulls guard Zach LaVine has been listening the last few days to all the chatter about his projected return.
What is his level of patience with it?
‘‘I don’t have any,’’ LaVine said with a laugh Wednesday.
Not that he should be blamed for that.
LaVine said he feels fine in his recovery from surgery in February to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He has been practicing with his teammates and with the G League’s Windy City Bulls for more than a month and insisted: ‘‘I know I feel like I can play right now.’’
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Unfortunately for LaVine, some people don’t agree with that opinion — not yet, at least.
The Bulls’ front office is taking an extremely cautious approach to LaVine’s return, and even coach Fred Hoiberg has walked back his comments about a return in early January.
‘‘I’m just doing everything I can to get back,’’ LaVine said. ‘‘I feel good, but it’s a lot of people making decisions in this. So I have to trust them and they have to trust me, then we have to get to a point to where I’m out here playing.’’
LaVine was asked if he thought the front office was proceeding with such caution because of all the headaches the Bulls had to endure with Derrick Rose’s return from ACL surgery a few years ago.
‘‘I don’t know,’’ LaVine said. ‘‘Derrick doesn’t have anything to do with me. I’m a different person, so I feel like it’s a little bit of both right now — my decision and theirs. We’ll get to something very soon because I’m feeling good.’’
The coming week is big for LaVine. Saturday will be the first of six consecutive days he will practice with full contact. If he comes out of that without any setbacks, LaVine, Bulls trainers and the front office will make some decisions about him playing in several games with Windy City before setting a realistic date for his NBA return.
Because LaVine has been watching film and taking part in practices, he thinks he will be able to jump into the offense seamlessly.
‘‘I’ve been practicing with everybody, going through all the actions and motions,’’ LaVine said. ‘‘We get out there on the run, shoot a lot of threes . . . so it’s an offense that I think any scoring guard would love.’’
This and that
Former Bulls big man Joakim Noah was inactive again. He has played in only four games for the Knicks this season and also was inactive when they visited Dec. 9.
• Former Bulls forward Doug McDermott made his first start of the season for the Knicks.
Follow me on Twitter @suntimes_hoops.
Email: jcowley@suntimes.com
