Chicago Bulls Win Vs The Bucks: 113 - 90

MILWAUKEE — Now that Luol Deng has returned after missing seven games with a torn ligament in his left wrist, the focus shifts to what's next.

"Lu will get the minutes that he can handle," Bullscoach Tom Thibodeau said. "I don't know if they will be the same. They may be less. They may be the same. Until he's out there, we won't know."

Deng logged 41 minutes against the Bucks and took his normal rotation turn by playing the entire first quarter and starting the second with the Bench Mob. But even Deng, who averaged 38.3 minutes before the injury, has conceded he can't rule out surgery until he sees how the injury responds to pain.

"He's always in great shape," Thibodeau said. "But a game is different because of the physical contact. And then the compilation of games too. Can he handle four (games) in five (nights)?

"We're hopeful he doesn't need surgery. There have been a number of studies done, and there are many players who have never had surgery and it has healed itself. That's what we're hopeful for.

"The swelling is gone. He had to do the rehab and strengthen the wrist again. He has consulted a number of different doctors. We're confident this is going to work out well."

Big man on campus: When the Bulls strolled intoMarquette's Al McGuire Center for their morning shootaround, a big picture of alumnus Jimmy Butlergreeted them.

"Teammates were like, 'Oh, my gosh. Really?' " Butler said laughing. "Being a rookie doesn't make it any better. I'll be hearing it for a little bit."

Butler also heard praise from teammates after his strong stint Thursday in New York. Deng's return dropped Butler to 9 1/2 minutes against the Bucks, though he continued to make noticeable plays such as a jarring baseline screen to set Kyle Korver free for a jumper.