Bulls’ Deng hopes he can avoid surgery

DEERFIELD – Bulls forward Luol Deng hopes he won’t need surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist.

Deng was injured in the fourth quarter Saturday against Charlotte and figures to miss at least a few more games after sitting out Monday’s win against the New Jersey Nets. He said the wrist was still sore, but the pain had eased “a lot” the past few days.

“I know it’s a bad injury and it sounds terrible, but really, I think it will be fine,” Deng said Tuesday. “We’ve got a good team, and I think I’m going to be fine.”

Even so, surgery remains a possibility, and coach Tom Thibodeau said Deng was “week to week.” He said Deng did some dribbling with his left hand and shooting at practice Tuesday, although Deng disputed that.

One thing that can’t be argued is this: Losing Deng for an extended time would be a blow for the Bulls even though they’ve dealt with their share of injuries while building a league-best 16-3 record.

A key contributor on both ends, he’s averaging 15.9 points and 7.5 rebounds a game.

Richard Hamilton has been limited by a groin problem in his first season with the Bulls, and Derrick Rose missed four consecutive games because of a sprained left big toe that could be an issue for him the rest of the season. Taj Gibson has missed the past two games because of a sprained left ankle. Joakim Noah sat out Saturday with a similar injury.

Now, Deng’s out. For how long? That depends on his pain tolerance.

“I’m just trying to get it down to a certain level where I can play again,” Deng said. “I’m really confident in the fact that I’ll be out there, hopefully soon.”