Chicago could get point guard Kirk Hinrich back in two-to-three weeks, much earlier than the team originally projected.

"I'm being very optimistic," Coach Vinny Del Negro, who let the news slip, said. "The sooner, the better for me. Kirk's been running a little bit. But we're going to be cautious."

Hinrich, who wasn't supposed to return until mid-February, has been sidelined since right thumb surgery on Nov. 11.