Wallace's bruised knee

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/cs-070129bulls,1,16446,print.story?coll=cs-bulls-headlines
Good news on Wallace's knee
Injury just a contusion; Bulls center could be in lineup Wednesday
By K.C. Johnson
Tribune staff reporter

Mirroring the Bulls' fortunes since a 3-9 start, the news on Ben Wallace's left knee injury keeps improving each day.

Whether the best-case scenario is realized—that Wallace plays as early as Wednesday, when the Bulls begin a seven-game trip in Los Angeles against the Clippers—remains to be seen.

But athletic trainer Fred Tedeschi said Monday the team's initial fears of a hyperextension and sprained left knee weren't realized.

Instead, Wallace suffered a contusion to his tendon below the knee when Heat forward Udonis Haslem's head struck Wallace's leg.

The blow, coupled with Wallace's history of tendinitis that is normal for a veteran player, caused pain and swelling.

Wallace didn't practice Monday and didn't speak to reporters. But Tedeschi said the Bulls' center is off crutches, out of an immobilizer and "walking normal and progressing well."

Officially, the team said Wallace is day-to-day.

That picture is much brighter than the scene from late Saturday night, when Wallace left the United Center on a golf cart, crutches by his side and a glum look on his face.

"The way we had to carry him off, we thought we were dealing with potentially a season-ending injury," Tedeschi said. "But our initial exam [on Saturday] looked good. The MRI [on Sunday] confirmed the exam. And now we realize what we're dealing with is where the head hit the front of the knee."

Coach Scott Skiles said Wallace would travel on the trip and undergo treatment two or three times per day. Tedeschi, who added Wallace has made "really good progress," said that treatment would entail range-of-motion exercises and exercises to strengthen Wallace's quadriceps muscle.

Tedeschi said it's likely Wallace would wear a pad to protect the area upon his return.

"I put a lot of faith in Ben and him knowing his body and knowing what he can play with and what he can't," Tedeschi said. "He'll tell me more than likely when he's ready. When he knows and it checks out with me, we'll go with it."

Asked if Wallace suffered any hyperextension, Tedeschi said: "There probably was, but it wasn't significant enough to cause any damage to the inside of the knee, which is what you worry about. There is no ligament damage."