Guard Bryce Drew, sidelined since Nov. 11 with a strained left hamstring, participated in his first full practice Tuesday and may return to action ahead of schedule for Friday night’s home game against Atlanta.
Coach Tim Floyd put the chances at 50-50. Drew has missed 16 games since being placed on injured reserve and 17 overall.
“I’m going to go to Boston and work out before the game, then practice Thursday and see how it goes,” Drew said. “I’m definitely a little winded, but it felt good to get up and down the court. It has been so boring to sit and watch, especially for four weeks.”
Drew is averaging six points in four games and shooting .571 from three-point range.
Floyd said another injured Bull, center Brad Miller, could return from his broken right hand as early as next Tuesday against Indiana, but that the Dec. 21 game in Orlando is more realistic. Miller also has missed 17 games.
Take it easy: Rookie forward Marcus Fizer, who drew his first “Did Not Play–Coach’s Decision” of the season against Phoenix, had a long talk after practice Tuesday with assistant coach Bill Berry.
“Obviously I’d rather be playing, but if [Floyd] feels that’s what he needs to do for me to get better, he’s the coach and I want to do everything I can to get better,” Fizer said. “It has been a tough transition for me. But there’s a lot of season left.”
Fizer is shooting just 34.3 percent.
“I explained why he got benched to him in front of the whole team,” Floyd said. “He’ll get all the support he needs from his teammates. He’s a young guy who has an awful lot of pressure on him. He would have been better off if I had done this earlier. It’s not about him. It’s about me. It’s just somewhere that we need to go now.”
