Charlotte Hornets - Chicago Bulls Observations

▪ The Hornets hope center Al Jefferson could be ready to play as soon as Monday’s start of the West Coast trip in Salt Lake City. That’s quite a departure from the initial fear when he felt a “pop” in his leg in the third quarter of the loss to the Sacramento Kings. The Hornets are now calling Jefferson’s injury a right knee strain.

▪ Hornets coach Steve Clifford expressed concern over power forward Cody Zeller’s sprained right shoulder. “The shoulder is not responding well” to treatment, Clifford said.

▪ Clifford is slowly increasing Kemba Walker’s minutes as he works his way back into game conditioning and rhythm, following six weeks off recovering from knee surgery.

▪ How constant have injuries been this season for the Hornets? Stars Jefferson and Walker have both played in three games in 2015. Asked about that, Clifford said, “It’s so hard to build continuity, particularly offensively.”

This story was originally published March 13, 2015 at 8:12 PM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets - Chicago Bulls Observations."