Rodney Stuckey didn't get the early Christmas present he was hoping for.

X-rays taken Thursday revealed his broken left hand still hasn't healed sufficiently to allow him to take part in contact drills.

"This is all about my future," Stuckey said before Friday night's game against the Bulls. "It's not about right now. I could come back right now and play, but if I reinjure it, I could shatter my whole hand and be out the whole year. I don't want that."

Nor do the Pistons. Stuckey will be reevaluated on Dec. 20. Even if he is cleared then, it is unlikely he would return before the new year.

"They (the doctors) are being very cautious," Coach Flip Saunders said. "They don't want to take any chances. It's not as if it was one bone that was broken. It was three bones."