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Hinrich hoping to return after weekend

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Nov 21

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Kirk Hinrich Friday joined the rest of the world in the quest of being day to day.

“Day to day, I joke,” Hinrich said before Friday’s game in Portland about his bruised ribs/chest contusion which put him out of the game. “I hope I’m better tomorrow. Today was tough.”

Hinrich played the role of human pinball in the loss to the Kings Thursday, bounced around in several confrontations before finally succumbing after taking a charge from a rumbling DeMarcus Cousins.

“Yeah, very sore and just one of those things where I got banged up pretty good last night and I didn’t have enough time to recover for tonight,” said Hinrich, who joined Derrick Rose with a hamstring issue and Pau Gasol with a calf problem out for the game. “I never really thought it was broken. Just took a really good shot and having trouble with any type of movement really.

“It actually happened earlier in the game (before the charge),” said Hinrich. “Rudy Gay gave me a good shot and I got hit two other times. It was hurting the whole game and the last two shots put it over the top. I’ve never had broken ribs. But it hurts to take deep breaths. Any type of just movement in itself. It’s hard to even posture up straight. I hope I get better soon.

“I didn’t think (the Cousins charge) was one of the more vicious ones I’ve taken,” said Hinrich as if some 275-pound guy will bother him. “He’s a big guy. But it was a clean one. It wasn’t like I took a knee or elbow anywhere. I got hit with a shoulder the play before that by (Omri) Casspi on a dribble handoff. And like I said, the play that really got me was early in the game when I took a good shot.”

Aaron Brooks was expected to start for Hinrich who was starting for Rose backed up by E’Twaun Moore. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau also said the Bulls would run offense through Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah. Hinrich’s technical foul earlier in the game on a fairly innocent play with Cousins reportedly was rescinded. The Bulls haven’t won in Portland since 2007 in LaMarcus Aldridge’s rookie year. Friday’s game was almost a year to the day Derrick Rose tore his meniscus here in Portland.

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