All Bull - Chicago Bulls

The official estimate is "indefinitely," and it seems obvious that Bulls shooting guard Richard Hamilton will be out for several weeks.

He aggravated a groin strain and left thigh bruise on Sunday against Miami and missed the next two games against Washington and Philadelphia. Since Hamilton has missed 13 games already, he clearly leads time to heal and then ease himself back into playing shape.

"Last game, it was killing me the whole second half," Hamilton said Wednesday, according to espn.com. "Then the next day it was even 20 times worse.

Richard Hamilton has already missed 11 games this season with a groin strain (10) and thigh bruise (1). After Sunday's 97-93 loss in Miami, the veteran shooting guard sounded like he'll need more time off.

"The first quarter I felt pretty good," Hamilton told reporters in the locker room. "As the game went on, I felt like I was playing on one leg. It was tough. It was hard. But it was kind of like a playoff atmosphere, you just try to will yourself through the game. I'm just disappointed we didn't get the win."

The Bulls are back in action Monday at Washington, the second stop on a nine-game road trip. Hamilton was asked if the thigh or groin injury was bothering him more.

During TNT's postgame edition of "Inside the NBA" late Monday night, Bulls center Joakim Noah became a topic of discussion.

The network showed one highlight of the Bulls' loss at Memphis, featuring Noah guarding Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay on a switch. Gay drove to the basket and threw down a dunk.

Charles Barkley was asked if Noah is still his favorite NBA player.

“His energy level is not the same," Barkley replied. "I have loved how hard he has worked but he has not played up to his capabilities this year. Even though Chicago has a great record he has not played like he has played the last couple of years.”

Orlando's Dwight Howard made NBA history late Thursday night, though it's not necessarily a record to be proud of.

Howard broke Wilt Chamderlain's 50-year old mark for free throw attempts by shooting 39 in a win at Golden State. Wilt hoisted 34 on Feb. 22, 1962, just a few days before his 100-point game.

Warriors coach Mark Jackson made no secret of why Howard was fouled so much. The all-star center is a poor free-throw shooter and Jackson thought fouling early and often would give his team the best chance to win.

Howard ended up hitting 21 of his 39 free throws, but Golden State still lost 117-109 as Howard finished with 45 points and 23 rebounds. He started the night shooting 42 percent at the foul line.

There was some interesting late-night entertainment the past two nights in the NBA. The Miami Heat lost consecutive overtime games against Golden State and the L.A. Clippers to fall behind the Bulls for the Eastern Conference lead.

--On Wednesday, Miami had some free-throw issues in a 95-89 loss to the Clippers. LeBron James scored 23 points, but went 9-for-17 at the foul line and missed 3 free throws in the final 1:21 of the fourth quarter.

The Heat managed just 1 field goal, a 3-pointer by Mario Chalmers, in overtime and coach Erik Spoelstra was ejected with five seconds remaining. Chris Paul had 27 points and 11 assists for the Clips.

At this point, it's easy to wonder whether Richard Hamilton is assuming the Kurt Thomas role on the Bulls -- just sit tight until he's needed.

Realistically, Hamilton's late start to an abbreviated training camp probably helps explain why he's missed six games with a groin strain.

But the injury has given Ronnie Brewer a greater role and he's taking advantage. Consider his shooting numbers:

--Brewer made just 6 baskets from 3-point range during his first regular season with the Bulls. By knocking down a corner 3 late in the win at Minnesota, Brewer eclipsed that total in the 11th game of the season.

--Even more, the career 23.3-percent 3-point shooter is 7-for-11 from long range this season. His overall field-goal percentage is .529.

The Bulls will play without backup point guard C.J. Watson tonight when they host Atlanta at the United Center. Watson suffered a left elbow sprain when he landed on the floor awkwardly in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win over Memphis.

Watson does not appear to have any structural damage and should return to the lineup soon, but the Bulls are in the midst of a busy stretch of games. They play at Detroit on Wednesday, then visit Orlando and Atlanta this weekend.

With Watson out, John Lucas III will take over as backup point guard. He scored 8 points in 10 minutes of action on Sunday.

Richard Hamilton will be a game-time decision because of a slight groin strain. He was a late scratch against Memphis. Ronnie Brewer started at two guard and scored 17 points.

It is now official: Miami will not go undefeated this season. The Heat suffered a surprising 100-92 home loss to Atlanta on Monday.

The Hawks trailed by 4 heading into the fourth quarter before outscoring the Heat 33-21 the rest of the way. Tracy McGrady, who wanted to play for the Bulls a year ago, knocked down 3 straight 3-pointers and ex-Bulls guard Jannero Pargo added 8 points off the bench for Atlanta. Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points.

The Hawks move on to play the Bulls on Tuesday at the United Center. At the moment, three Eastern Conference teams have 4-1 records -- the Bulls, Indiana and Atlanta -- while Miami is 5-1.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if Eddy Curry ends up being the final piece that pushes Miami’s Power Trio to an NBA title?

Unlikely, maybe, but definitely interesting. The Heat signed the former Thornwood center and Bulls first-round draft pick before the season, but he has yet to play because of a hip flexor.

There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about this move, particularly the fact that Curry, 29, has played in 10 games the past two seasons. His best year was 2006-07 for the Knicks when he averaged 19.5 points and 7.0 rebounds.

But according to an interview with Hoopsworld, Curry expects to play soon and feels ready to contribute.

On paper, this looks like a game the Bulls should win. With Andrew Bynum serving a suspension and Lamar Odom traded to Dallas, the Lakers are now thin on the inside. They plan to start Pau Gasol, Josh McRoberts and Devin Ebanks across the front line. The only real big man to bring off the bench is Troy Murphy.

The Lakers are planning to start 37-year-old Derrick Fisher, but have more depth in the backcourt with Steve Blake, Matt Barnes and Jason Kapono. Metta World Peace, once known as Ron Artest, didn't play well in preseason.

The first thing to watch from a Bulls perspective is how they attack the Lakers defense. Last season, teams didn't bother to guard Keith Bogans and the Bulls essentially played 4-on-5 while hoping Bogans might knock down a 3-pointer once in a while.