Joakim Noah was scheduled to have the pin removed from his injured right thumb on Tuesday.

He had surgery more than five weeks ago to repair a torn ligament in the thumb.

"I'm excited about that," Noah said Monday. "Physically, I feel strong, and my conditioning is good. I'm working on my left [hand], I'm doing a lot of work and just anxious to get out there."

At the time of the surgery in mid-December, it was estimated that Noah would be sidelined eight to 10 weeks.

He still doesn't have a target date in mind.

"It's about getting better," Noah said. "It's not about a target date. It's just about getting my hand 100 percent and making sure I don't reinjure it, just coming back and being healthy.

"Whatever the doctors tell me. I feel pretty strong in the hand, but ­obviously there's a pin in there so it's not mobile and it's stiff. I'm just trying to get the mobility back."