Gray rejoins Bulls

Just a few days after being hospitalized because of fluid in his right knee, backup center Aaron Gray rejoined the Bulls Friday night in Denver and attended Saturday morning’s shootaround.

“I think it was just an infection in the knee,” Gray said. “The way it was explained to me, we could wait and let it heal itself or we could take care of it in one shot. So they admitted me to the hospital and got me right into an IV with antibiotics. It’s cleared up real nicely.”

The infection flared up while Gray already was out with a stress fracture of the lower left leg. The knee problem interrupted his rehabilitation as he spent a couple of days in the hospital before being released Tuesday night.

“It’s tough; it’s a setback. Obviously not one I can afford right now,” he said. “It’s just something I’m gonna have to work through and get back as soon as possible to help this team.

“I got out a little bit today and ran around, ran through some plays and felt real good.”

When Gray might be ready to play a game remains to be seen, but he’s hopefully to return to practice soon.

“Hopefully, by the end of this trip I’ll be back to full practicing,” he said. “It’s gonna be how it feels and the pain tolerance, but we’re real optimistic right now and hopefully I’ll be back soon.”