Ben Wallace Banged Up But Day-to-Day

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jan 30, 2007 4:15PM

Things looked pretty bad when the Bulls' medical staff had to carry Ben Wallace off the court during Saturday night's game against the Miami Heat. At first, a season-ending injury was feared. Initial examinations of his knee, however, seemed positive.

Said Bulls trainer Fred Tedeschi:

The way we had to carry him off, we thought we were dealing with potentially a season-ending injury. 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.

An MRI on Sunday revealed no tear, and Wallace's sprained knee is currently listed as day-to-day. The team won't even rule out his playing in Wednesday night's game against the L.A. Clippers.

The sooner the better for Wallace's return, because the Bulls embark on their second long road trip of the season. Wednesday's game is the first of seven straight on the road.

The Bulls currently sit as the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but another road trip like November's 1-6 "circus trip" could knock them to the bottom of the playoff standings.

Photo via AP Photo/M. Spencer Green.