After missing the last three Bulls games — two wins and a loss — Carlos Boozer took part in practice Friday with the Bulls and pronounced himself ready to go for tomorrow’s matchup with Cleveland at the United Center:
Asked to put his status in NFL injury terms, Boozer passed on whether he’d be listed as “probable.”
Boozer said the ankle swelled to “about the size of a grapefruit” and it took three or four days for the swelling to come down but now it’s gone “way, way, way down.”
The Bulls could have used Boozer’s rebounding (not to mention scoring) skills in their loss to the Bobcats; they did manage to beat Dallas without him, but in a tight defensive struggle. It still may be a few more weeks before the triad of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Boozer are all back together.
Meanwhile, rumors are still flying about Carmelo Anthony possibly coming to the Bulls after the deal to send him from the Nuggets to the Nets fell through. The Bulls have made it clear that Noah would not be included in any such deal; a more likely player to go west would be Luol Deng, but there’s still no actual framework for such a trade, just more internet rumors.
As always, we await developments.