Thumb injury to sideline Bulls’ Hinrich up to three months

Posted Nov 8 2008 9:41PM

Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich could miss some three months with a torn ligament in his right thumb, the National Basketball Association team said Saturday.

Hinrich departed Friday’s 100-83 victory over the Phoenix Suns in the third quarter and had an MRI exam on Saturday.

The test confirmed a torn ligament, and Hinrich was to undergo surgery on Tuesday. The Bulls said he could miss 12 weeks, returning in late January or early February.

“This really hurts our team, and there is really nothing we can do to make up for it,” Chicago general manager John Paxson said. “It’s a tough one.

“When you talk 12 weeks, it goes up to the All-Star break. That’s a lot of games between now and then. So, it’s tough for us to digest, our doctors are being careful in predicting when Kirk will return.”

Hinrich was inserted into the starting lineup on Friday in place of Thabo Sefolosha. He scored five points with five assists before leaving the game.

Hinrich said he was hurt when he tried to steal the ball from Suns forward Amare Stoudemire.

“It felt like I hyper-extended it, and I came off shaking my hand because it was hurting and then it started swelling up pretty bad,” he said.

Either Sefolosha or Ben Gordon is expected to take his place in the starting lineup until his return.

Hinrich has spent his entire NBA career with the Bulls, averaging 14.3 points and 6.3 assists while missing just 21 games in more than five seasons.

In addition to his contributions on the court, Hinrich also will be missed as a confidante to the Derrick Rose, who was taken first overall in the NBA draft by Chicago in June.

“When I heard about Kirk, I was kind of upset,” Rose said. “Now, we have to find new ways to win. Kirk has helped me a lot on and off the court, and he is one of our leaders.”

http://www.nba.com/2008/news/11/08/hinrichthumb.ap/index.html