Kirk Hinrich injury: Bulls guard suffers groin strain vs. Thunder

Chicago Bulls point guard Kirk Hinrich strained his groin during the team's 94-89 preseason win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game that it's possible Hinrich may miss some games as a result, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

The Bulls were depending on Hinrich to play point while Derrick Rose recovers from a torn ACL, and a potentially long-term, nagging injury like a strained groin could really effect the team negatively. Nate Robinson would step in as the team's starting point guard if Hinrich has to miss any time, which is not a position in which a presumptive playoff team would like to find itself.

SB Nation's Bulls blog, Blog A Bull, thinks that this could potentially be a very serious issue for Chicago this year:

The Bulls have a uniquely shallow roster this season, and Hinrich wasn't just the fulcrum of their entire off-season (I know, still tough to imagine) but they desperately need him to stay on the court. Nate Robinson has showed some nice things in the preseason but isn't a full-time floor general, and Marquis Teague had another poor stint tonight in what's been a really trying rookie campaign.

The Bulls open their regular season at home on Wednesday, Oct. 31 against the Sacramento Kings.

This story originally appeared at SB Nation.