Chicago Bulls vice president John Paxson doubts his team will make a move before the Feb. 21 trade deadline.

"We're up against what's called a hard cap," Paxson said. "In order for us to do something we're not in a position to take on any real salary so we're kind of limited in what we can do. I think our team has grown -- it's not always pretty, let's face it; we've had some ugly games this year and that's kind of who we are right now. But we do grind it out and play hard.

"You're always on the lookout to do certain things, but I think our move hopefully will be bringing Derrick [Rose] back into the fold."

Rose tore his left ACL on April 28 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against Philadelphia.

Rose began taking contact in practice last week.

"We don't want to bring him back and then have a setback because he wasn't totally ready," Paxson said. "We want this to be a progression where he comes back, he starts to play and every week he gets better and feels better."

The NBA has announced the reserves for the 2013 All-Star Game in Houston.

Western Conference Reserves
Tony Parker
James Harden
LaMarcus Aldridge 
David Lee
Zach Randolph
Tim Duncan 
Russell Westbrook 

Eastern Conference Reserves
Paul George
Jrue Holiday 
Tyson Chandler 
Chris Bosh 
Joakim Noah 
Luol Deng
Kyrie Irving 

Fifteen teams have at least one All-Star (Knicks, Heat, Celtics, Bulls, Pacers, 76ers, Blazers, Spurs, Rockets, Warriors and Grizzlies), while 15 teams do not have a representative (Hawks, Nets, Bobcats, Mavericks, Nuggets, Pistons, Bucks, Wolves, Hornets, Magic, Suns, Kings, Raptors, Jazz and Wizards).

The 76ers and Cavaliers each sent a Coaches Vote All-Star despite a losing record, while the Lakers and Celtics have two starters despite a sub-.500 record.

The Nets, Hawks, Bucks, Nuggets and Jazz all have a record over .500 and no All-Stars. 

The All-Star starters are LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett, Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul.

Derrick Rose underwent the "next step" in his recovery from a torn ACL -- clearance for full contact drills in Chicago Bulls practice.

"He’s been cleared for more contact so we went to the next step today," coach Tom Thibodeau said on Tuesday following a light film and shooting session at the Berto Center.

Rose went in games against teammates, most likely 3-on-3 matches. Still, all signs point to Rose returning to the court sometime after the All-Star break.

"It’s going to be awhile," Thibodeau said. "It’s the next step in his rehab. Everyone has to be patient. He’s doing fine. He’s playing more, practicing more. We want him to concentrate on his rehab. We want the team to continue concentrating on improvement and the next opponent. Nothing has changed."

Tom Thibodeau believes Derrick Rose is "very close" to receiving clearance for full contact drills, and it could even happen in Chicago Bulls practices this week.

Even so, Thibodeau again stressed patience for Rose, who continues to rehabilitate from a torn ACL.

"It’s not going to be one or two days of contact and he’s going to be out there," Thibodeau warned. "That’s not going to happen. Just be patient. He’s showing great patience. Everybody else has to. He has to continue to focus on his rehab. When he’s ready, whenever that is, that’s when he comes back. Our doctors have been on top of it since Day One."

Tom Thibodeau elaborated on Monday his decision to bench Joakim Noah during the Chicago Bulls' overtime loss on Saturday to the Grizzlies.

"We were struggling. We were behind," Thibodeau said. "The group that got in there got us back in the game. It was more the way that unit was rolling. I just felt we were so flat that that group was either going to win the game or lose the game for us. They were the ones that overcame a big deficit. That’s usually the case.

"In the first half, I always go back with the starters. In the second half, if we’re struggling it’s going to be the group that is going well. That’s the way it is."

Thibodeau said he didn't feel the need to explain this rationale to Noah.

"He understands. He’s been around," Thibodeau said. "The team has to come first. That’s the most important thing. Sometimes that happens. It’s not a big deal."

The Chicago Bulls’ Carlos Boozer and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant today were named Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Jan. 14 through Sunday, Jan. 20.

Boozer led the Bulls to a 3-1 week, which included wins over the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors. He averaged 23.0 points (fourth in the conference) and a league-leading 14.8 rebounds. Boozer recorded a point-rebound double-double in all four contests, including a 19-point, 20-rebound game on Jan. 18 during a 100-99 win over the Boston Celtics.

Durant helped Oklahoma City to a 3-1 record on the week, which included wins over the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns. He averaged a league-best 37.5 points and recorded a career and NBA-season-high 52 points on January 18 during a 117-114 overtime win against the Dallas Mavericks.

With nearly half of the 12-13 NBA season, analysts have a fairly clear idea of which teams are playoff contenders and which are firmly in the lottery.

The change in popularity of teams based on ticket prices on the secondary market based on data from VividSeats.com is also revealing.

The Brooklyn Nets have the largest increase in price from last season, with a 105 percent jump from their final season in New Jersey.

The Chicago Bulls have the NBA's largest decrease at 27 percent, undoubtedly related to the injury to Derrick Rose.

Despite the departure of Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic have only had a decrease of four percent. Also noteworthy is that the Houston Rockets have a four percent decrease even though the team seemingly improved their markability with the acquisitions of James Harden and Jeremy Lin.

Atlanta Hawks: 4% Increase
Boston Celtics: 7% Decrease
Brooklyn Nets: 105% Increase
Charlotte Bobcats: 41% Increase
Chicago Bulls: 27% Decrease
Cleveland Cavaliers: 59% Increase
Dallas Mavericks: 7% Decrease
Denver Nuggets: 1% Decrease
Detroit Pistons: 17% Decrease
Golden State Warriors: 8% Increase
Houston Rockets: 4% Decrease
Indiana Pacers: 25% Decrease
Los Angeles Clippers: 16% Increase
Los Angeles Lakers: 21% Increase
Memphis Grizzlies: 1% Increase
Miami Heat: 6% Increase
Milwaukee Bucks: 22% Decrease
Minnesota Timberwolves: 1% Increase
New Orleans Hornets: 99% Increase
New York Knicks: 9% Decrease
Oklanhoma City Thunder: 1% Increase
Orlando Magic: 4% Decrease
Philadelphia 76ers: 7% Decrease
Phoenix Suns: 7% Decrease
Portland Trail Blazers: 13% Increase
Sacramento Kings: 7% Decrease
San Antonio Spurs: 9% Decrease
Toronto Raptors: 12% Decrease
Utah Jazz: 7% Decrease
Washington Wizards: 4% Increase

Derrick Rose is dunking and shooting jumpers as he returns to practice.

The one rule is for his Chicago Bulls' teammates to move out of the way as he continues the 'predictable contact' part of his rehab.

“We definitely don’t want to get him hurt again, so if he’s going to the cup, let him go,’’ Jimmy Butler said of the Rose rules. “Open jumper, contest it, but don’t let him come down any wrong way.’’

Rose will next begin all-out contact in a full practice, and he’s getting closer to that.

“You can tell he’s a great player, so he doesn’t really show it too often,’’ Butler said, ‘‘but you know that he wants to be out there with us, be out there competing, helping us get these wins. You ask him about it, and he’s like, ‘Man, I’m so ready.’ But who knows?’’

Derrick Rose has begun taking some contact in practice, but Tom Thibodeau continues to stress patience for the Chicago Bulls guard's recovery from a torn ACL.

"He's doing what we call 'predictable contact,' " Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said after Tuesday's practice. "Obviously, you're knowing what's coming.

"So he's handled that part great. He's done a little one-on-one, that's coming around, but he's still ... everyone has to be patient. The next step will be a regular practice and he hasn't done that yet. So once he does that, you know he's getting closer."

"We're not really looking over our shoulder because he's with us every day," Bulls center Joakim Noah added. "We get to see the progress. But I think it's good."

The Chicago Bulls have been guarded with releasing information about the recovery of Derrick Rose from the torn ACL in his left knee.

Rose appears set to return at some point in the coming weeks, especially considering his seemingly improved mood.

"We're not trying to be evasive," general manager Gar Forman said Monday. "We just have stayed true to the process of taking things step by step, knowing we have to get him back to 100 percent. Once he's at 100 percent and cleared medically, he'll be ready to play. We're optimistic that he'll be back at some point this season."

Many outsider estimates suggest a return late in February or in early March.

"He's right on schedule with where we thought he would be," Forman said. "This next step is what he's doing on the floor. As soon as he has completed that step satisfactorily we'll move on to the next step, which will be full practices with full contact for a length of time."