Dwyane Wade hopeful to play vs. Nets after missing nearly a month

NEW YORK -- Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade is hopeful he will be able to play Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets after missing close to a month because of a fractured right elbow.

Wade's optimism comes as a mild surprise, given that he was initially ruled out for the rest of the regular season after injuring the elbow in a March 15 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

"I feel like I'm ready to get back out there and try to play," Wade said after going through all of Friday's practice.

"[The training staff has] watched me practice, so they've seen things that I haven't ... I feel comfortable. I'm not in any pain. So we'll see. Hopefully they allow me to get out there tomorrow and play a little bit. Try to get back in the flow a little bit. And also try to help our team continue to make this push that they've been doing an amazing job of trying to get to the playoffs."

The Bulls (39-40) are 7-4 during this most recent stretch without Wade and currently sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. They have three regular-season games left to play.

"Obviously I'm ahead of schedule from the diagnosis of what happened," Wade said. "But the final decision comes from my trainers and the coaches, that they're comfortable with me playing. But I'll continue to work. I'll see how I feel tomorrow after another good day. I'm sure they'll ask me when I wake up how I feel, but as a player, I definitely want to get back on the floor."

Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg seems pleased with how Wade has looked in practice the past few days, but acknowledged, "It's the trainers and doctors that will make the final call." Hoiberg noted earlier in the week that Wade would be on a minutes restriction whenever he did return.

For his part, Wade says he isn't surprised that he has put himself in this position to return.

"No, I'm not," Wade said. "Because I know how I work. I know how hard I work."

Wade also praised All-Star swingman Jimmy Butlerfor his recent play. Butler has carried the Bulls on both ends of the floor all year, but has been especially dominant in Wade's absence.

"He's a franchise player," Wade said of Butler. "He's a guy you definitely build around. Through everything this year, he's been out there. Since I got hurt, he's been playing top-five basketball in the NBA. He's doing it all. He's not only scoring. He's passing, rebounding, defending the other team's best player. He has really stepped it up and gone to another level.

"He's done it all year. But at this time of the year, with all the bumps and bruises he's going through and the defense knows he's getting the ball, I think this is the best stretch of his young career."

In other injury-related news, point guard Rajon Rondo is expected to miss his second straight game because of a sprained right wrist, but he is optimistic that he will be back on the floor soon.

"I'm still day-to-day," Rondo said. "I dribbled a basketball today, so that's better. ... I'm going to play basketball really soon."