Richard Hamilton injury update: Bulls SG hopeful to return in less than 4 weeks

Chicago Bulls starting shooting guard Richard Hamilton tore the plantar fascia in his left foot and was told he would miss four weeks of the season, but on Friday morning he told reporters: "I could probably come back before that. Everybody's body is different."

Hamilton is not a doctor, so his accelerated timetable shouldn't be taken as an authoritative word on the status of his recovery, but K.C. Johnson caught some other interesting quotes from Hamilton that may provide some insight into the guard's optimistic outook:

"I thought the tape exploded on my foot," Hamilton said. "In talking to the doctor, he told me that it was a good thing that happened. When you have plantar fasciitis, it tends to stick with players all year. If you pop it, it's actually a good thing. Once it heals, it's OK."

...

"It's getting a little better every day," Hamilton said. "We're working hard on it, trying to get flexibility, trying to get the swelling and the blood that's in there down. There hasn't been a setback or anything like that."

The 34-year-old scorer has started the 2012-13 NBA season by posting his highest shooting percentage of the last five years (45.5 percent), and he has averaged 13.9 points per contest over 15 games.

The Bulls have turned to Marco Belinelli amid Hamilton's absence. Belinelli scored a season-high 23 points on 7-15 shooting in his second start of the season, Wednesday night in a win over the Cavaliers.