Joakim Noah will begin traveling with the Bulls after having the cast removed from his right hand on Monday.

Tom Thibodeau expects Noah to begin non-contact drills on Tuesday.

The center could be ready to return shortly after the All-Star break.

"With Jo, the next step is getting the cast off, which is going to happen today so you feel good about that," Thibodeau said. "And then he's going to have to work on basketball stuff. His timing, his touch, strengthening his hand.

"So he'll start the non-contact part of practice, and from there once he clears that he can practice with contact. And once he practices with contact then he'll be able to play. He's still pretty much on schedule. He's probably, the way we're looking at it right now, right after the All-Star break."

Taj Gibson sprained his right ankle in Chicago's win over Indiana on Saturday night.

X-rays taken after the game were negative, but Gibson said he could barely put any weight on the ankle.

Replays appeared to show Gibson getting tangled up with the foot of teammate Ronnie Brewer, but the forward isn't sure what happened.

"I didn't remember hitting anybody," Gibson said. "I just remember my foot giving. It twisted real bad."

Gibson is averaging 7.4 points and 5.7 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game this season.

James Johnson scored 28 points for the Energy in his first D-League game since his assignment by the Bulls.

The former first round pick in 2009 has played sparingly for Chicago over his first season and a half in the NBA.

Derrick Rose made his first official trip to a hospital this week.

“Tuesday, it felt like I was having a heart attack,” Rose said Friday evening. “I couldn’t breathe and stuff. That’s when I was scared. The next day, we went to the hospital. Family and everybody came up there then. We were in there almost the whole day.”

Rose was diagnosed with two stomach ulcers, but he still played on Friday.

Rose, who said his medications have been limited by what his stomach can stand, was told that the ulcers were related to his love of spicy food and some anti-inflammatory medication.

“This is the first time in my life I had to go to the hospital. It was weird but hopefully I’ll get back healthy,” Rose said. “Things can change very quickly. [I will be] making sure that I eat right, get enough rest, make sure everything goes right.”

The NBA announced the Western and Eastern Conference starters for the 2011 All-Star Game on Thursday, which will take place in Los Angeles on February 20th.

Western Conference
• Chris Paul, Hornets
• Kobe Bryant, Lakers
• Kevin Durant, Thunder
• Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets
• Yao Ming, Rockets

Eastern Conference
• Derrick Rose, Bulls
• Dwyane Wade, Heat
• LeBron James, Heat
• Amar'e Stoudemire, Knicks
• Dwight Howard, Magic

• Click here to view RealGM's All-Star page.

Derrick Rose missed practice on Thursday and Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau revealed that the point guard has a pair of stomach ulcers.

Rose, 22, went to Rush University Medical Center on Wednesday for a procedure.

He hopes to play on Friday when the Bulls host the Magic.

The Chicago Bulls will assign James Johnson to the Iowa Energy of the D-League, according to a source.

Johnson was the 16th overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, but has only played sparingly.

Chicago hasn't used the D-League since the 07-08 season.

The Knicks have surpassed the Lakers as the NBA's most valuable franchise, according to findings from Forbes.

New York is valued at $655 million, while the Lakers are close behind at $643 million.

The Bulls, Celtics and Rockets comprise the remainder of the top-five.

In the wake of LeBron James leaving in free agency, the Cavaliers had a single-year decrease of 26%.

Full Rankings
1. Knicks
2. Lakers
3. Bulls
4. Celtics
5. Rockets
6. Mavericks
7. Heat
8. Suns
9. Spurs
10. Raptors
11. Magic
12. Warriors
13. Pistons
14. Blazers
15. Cavaliers
16. Jazz
17. 76ers
18. Thunder
19. Wizards
20. Nuggets
21. Nets
22. Clippers
23. Hawks
24. Kings
25. Bobcats
26. Hornets
27. Pacers
28. Grizzlies
29. Timberwolves
30. Bucks

Bulls center Joakim Noah had the pin taken out of his right thumb on Tuesday and was back at practice Wednesday.

He wore a protective white guard over the thumb and hand.

"He's in good spirits," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He's working out. [He] still can't do anything on the court, but he's doing his conditioning and his strength stuff, but [he's in] very good spirits."

Thibodeau was non-committal on a timetable, but is hopeful it will be sooner rather than later.

"The encouraging thing is everything's fine," said the coach. "He's on schedule, maybe a little ahead of schedule. But now he has to strengthen the hand and we go from there."

Noah is expected to accompany Chicago on their West Coast swing next week and continue his rehab.

"I know he's anxious to get back," Thibodeau said. "He's doing everything he can. He's done a great job with his conditioning while he's been hurt, so he just has to be patient and do the right thing."

Derrick Rose didn't practice with the Bulls on Wednesday because of flu-like symptoms.

Rose has played through a back injury and said after Monday's game against the Bucks that he would use Chicago's off-days to rest.

"He's going to be banged up," coach Tom Thibodeau said.

"Every guy in the league right now is banged up. I think he manages things well. He takes really good care of himself, and that's what he has to continue to do. He's an aggressive player. He's always attacking the rim. So he's going to get hit, and he's just got to continue to take care of himself."

The Bulls will play a back-to-back against the Magic and Pacers beginning Friday.