Spencer Hawes will miss his 27th game of the season tonight when the Sixers entertain the Jazz but hopes to return Wednesday when the Sixers face the Pacers in Indiana.
Sidelined with a strained Achilles' tendon in his left foot, Hawes got back on the hardwood this week, doing mostly drills. He will travel with the team to New York on Saturday to go through the mental preparation of playing and practice Monday in the hopes of playing Wednesday.
"When Spencer comes back we will have four playmakers out there, which makes us very difficult to guard," Doug Collins said after Friday's shootaround. "I feel good about that. I think it is going to give us an opportunity to take another step forward."
The Sixers are undefeated with Hawes in 2012 and 12-2 overall this season with double zero on the floor. He is considered a ball-friendly player, and the Sixers look offensively more in sync with Hawes in the lineup.
"I feel good," Hawes said. "It is very encouraging the last couple days to be back on the court and to move around and not even think about it. The first time I tried to come back it was still in the back of my mind and I was favoring it. Now it looks like it is back to normal to me."
Hawes missed 10 straight games before returning to play two; he has since sat out the last 14. A specialist in Los Angeles whom he saw All-Star weekend recommended rest and then monitored minutes upon his return.
Hawes is scheduled to play no more then five minutes a quarter when he does come back, which creates a tough situation for Collins.
NBA
"I have never had to base that on injury but I have had to do so based on effectiveness," Collins said. "When we watch film and see after a guy plays maybe six minutes, his level of play starts to go down, so that would be based on performance. But injury related is hard to do. I mean the guy has used up his minutes and there are three minutes left in the game. If you play him the extra three what happens? That is a little different."
"Obviously I will probably try and fight it," Hawes said. "Having gone through it for the second time I have come to see the light. You get a batter perspective and you are more patient with things like that."
First things first; the Jazz are on tap tonight with the Knicks providing the entertainment Selection Sunday long before the selecting takes place.
E-mail Dei Lynam at dlynam@comcastsportsnet.com.