Bulls forward Carlos Boozer hopes to make his debut with the team by this weekend.

Boozer has been sidelined with a broken right pinkie and said his hand was sore after practicing with his teammates for the first time on Monday.

"It's great to be back on the court," Boozer said Tuesday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "My hand definitely has come a long way so it's really good. It's a little sore today, but I expected it to be that way. I'm going to get treatment right now and then go through another practice."

The Bulls will face the Magic on Wednesday, but Boozer won't commit to playing in the game.

"It may or may not be [Wednesday]," Boozer said. "I'm expecting hopefully this week, maybe this weekend but we'll see. I don't want to say I'm playing [Wednesday] and then not be able to play."

The Bulls play host to the Celtics on Friday and the Rockets on Saturday.

Bulls forward Luol Deng will get a bit of a break once Carlos Boozer returns from his broken hand.

Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau plans to insert Boozer directly into the starting lineup when he returns, while moving Taj Gibson to the bench.

Over the entire season, Deng is averaging 39.7 minutes, third-most in the league behind Kevin Durant and Rudy Gay.

"I don't think anything changes in terms of how we're going to play, style of play," Thibodeau said.

"It adds a quality big man and gives us more depth up front. Right now, Luol has probably played more minutes than we would like. He's played a lot of four for us. I do like Luol at the four, but it will allow us to get Luol more rest."

Bulls forward Carlos Boozer practiced on Monday for the first time since breaking his pinkie finger almost two months ago.

Boozer's status for Wednesday's game against the Magic remains uncertain.

"I'm doing good," Boozer said. "I've got my protective glove on. I thought I had a pretty good day at practice. My hand felt pretty good, and I'm getting better and better which is all I can hope for."

Boozer signed a five-year deal this summer that could be worth as much as $80 million.

Tracy McGrady says LeBron James would have been better off signing with the Bulls, according to a report in The New York Daily News.

"[Chicago] was a better decision, a better place for him," McGrady told the Daily News. "You can't just go somewhere and have that type of chemistry he had in Cleveland."

McGrady's Pistons played the Knicks in a double-overtime battle on Sunday afternoon.

He said one of the reasons the Heat are off to a disappointing 9-8 start is the chemistry of James and Wade on the court.

"When they're on the court together, they're terrible," McGrady said. "Him and D-Wade don't complement each other. They're somewhat the same type of players, 'Bron and D-Wade. ... Both of those guys need the ball, and they don't shoot the ball like Ray Allen. That's why they're having trouble scoring in the halfcourt, because they can't get a rhythm, because one of them is dominating the ball. That guy might be getting off, but the other guy [isn't].

"That's why when they're on the court together, they're terrible. They're rhythm players that need the ball. I'm like that. I can't stand out there and catch and shoot. I've never been a guy that sits out there waiting for the ball to come to me."

Bulls forward Carlos Boozer has yet to play this season as he recovers from a broken right hand.

Boozer has been working out on the court lately and plans to participate in a full-court workout on Monday. He says the hand is painful and sore after completing workouts.

"To be truthful," he said, "for the first couple of weeks, I'll probably end up playing through a lot of that pain just because I'm anxious to get back out there. Not where it would be a detriment to my hand. It hasn't moved in five weeks. Now that I'm moving again and I'm shooting, there's gonna be something there anyway until it gets stronger."

There have been reports that Boozer could return as early as this Wednesday.

He is wearing a specially made protective guard that sort of looks like a weightlifting glove.

"It's OK," Boozer said of the guard. "I'd rather wear nothing, but I'm gonna have to wear something for the first couple of days."

Bulls forward Carlos Boozer says he will return to practice with the team on Monday.

Boozer missed the first month of the season because of a broken right pinky finger.

"It felt good," he said. "Got a chance to work out again, worked out [Thursday] and worked out [Friday]. It's a little sore. Still not strong enough, but as long as it keeps getting stronger and stronger, it should be pretty soon."

Boozer signed a five-year deal worth close to $80 million in the offseason.

The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has signed free agent guard John Lucas III.  In accordance with team policy, terms of the contract were not announced.

Lucas III (5-11, 165) saw action in five preseason games with the Bulls and averaged 2.2 ppg and 0.8 apg in 6.4 mpg.

Undrafted out of Oklahoma State in 2005, Lucas spent two seasons with the Houston Rockets (2005-07) and appeared in 60 regular season contests.  While with the Rockets he averaged 3.1 ppg, 0.8 apg and 0.7 rpg in 8.2 mpg, and shot .396 from the field, .250 from behind the arc and .789 from the line.

Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will be a game-time decision for Friday night's contest against the Nuggets.

Rose started to feel discomfort in his neck after Wednesday night's double-overtime victory over the Suns.

"You know when you get a neck cramp, or you're about to get a neck cramp, and you can feel a little bit?" Rose said. "After the game [on Wednesday night] it just tightened up and ever since then it's been tight."

Rose had to leave the team's Thanksgiving dinner early on Thursday night because his neck was still bothering him.

The 10-11 Bulls have developed a stronger camaraderie with one another this season. Chicago has used that trust to help fuel comebacks.

"I love the team this year," said Luol Deng. "We have great teammates and coaches. All we're thinking about is winning, playing together. I really believe we have something special here.

"We practice so hard. Since I've been in the NBA, I haven't been on a team that practices so hard. That's what prepares you for nights like (Wednesday's). We prepare. And we have a great group of guys who care."

Carlos Boozer is nearing the eight-week mark on his recovery from a broken hand and will likely begin practice next week.  

He will likely need several practices before being ready to appear in a game on Dec. 10 or 11 against the Lakers or Wolves.