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MIAMI — Toronto Raptors point guard T.J. Ford, who rejoined the team Sunday for a practice, said at Monday's shootaround that there was a good chance he would be in uniform later in the day for the NBA game against the Miami Heat..
Ford has not played for the Raptors since late in a victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on Dec. 11 when he suffered an arm stinger after a foul by Al Horford.
He has been working for the past three weeks in Houston with former NBA coach and player John Lucas.
"I think it's a 99.9 per cent chance that I dress," Ford said after the shoot around at American Airlines Arena. "We'll see if I get on the floor and we'll go from there."
He said he didn't anticipate that he would he ready to suit up quite so soon but he felt that Sunday's practice in Miami indicated to him that it was possible.
Head coach Sam Mitchell said he would talk to Ford before making the decision.
"He's only had one practice." Mitchell said.
"After (Sunday's) practice it was good the way my body felt and the way I was able to get up and down," Ford said. "I didn't feel that I'd lost anything as far as timing, I felt it was all there."
He said during his training in Houston he played "a lot of one-on-one and two-on-two and I think that's basically what the NBA game is all about, it's either iso or a two-man game."
During his recovery, Ford also has been working harder on his conditioning, something Lucas feels that Ford let slip.
Lucas also helped Ford return from neck surgery in 2004 that cost him the entire 2004-05 season when he was with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Raptors thought Ford might need a about week of practice before he could get into a game although Lucas felt that he could come back sooner than that.
As for being in uniform Monday night and possibly playing, Ford said, "It's still basketball. Just make the right decisions and the right plays and I think I'll be okay."
