CLEVELAND—Dwyane Wade could return Wednesday for the Bulls game against the Cleveland Cavaliers but is still a game-time decision with left knee swelling.

Wade missed Monday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets after playing back-to-back games on Dec. 30 and 31, when this round of swelling began.

“The knee doesn’t hurt, it just has the swelling in it,” Wade said following morning shootaround at Quicken Loans Arena. “Just treatment and therapy and try to get the swelling out.”

Fred Hoiberg said the Bulls would go with the same lineup from Monday when Jimmy Butler slid back to shooting guard and Doug McDermott started at small forward.

Hoiberg said Wade didn’t do anything at shootaround but that the knee feels significantly better than yesterday. Wade has missed just three games so far this season, but one has to wonder if he’ll continue playing back-to-backs as the grind of the season begins to add up.

“I’ve been staying off of it. I’ll move up and down and see how I feel tonight,” Wade said.

Wade had a quick reply when asked when his knee first started acting up, making a reference to his days as a collegiate star at Marquette.

“It started 14 years ago (laughs),” Wade said. “This ain’t nothing new, it’s the first time I’ve publicly made a statement. I’ve had three knee surgeries so I get swelling in my knee sometimes. It’s not a big deal.”

If Wade doesn’t play, it adds to an already-thin Bulls backcourt in terms of depth as Denzel Valentine didn’t make the trip after spraining his left ankle in the second half against Charlotte.

So, it brings the almost-daily question about Rajon Rondo: Will he be called upon or will his polite banishment continue?

“We got a plan in place,” the ever-vague Hoiberg said.

Wade, like Hoiberg, has been complimentary of Rondo’s approach and professionalism since the change took place—which one can say started two and a half games ago in the second half against the Indiana Pacers when Rondo didn’t play at all.

“Obviously, you don’t expect him to be jolly that he’s not playing the game that he loves,” Wade said. “But when it comes to his teammates, he’s been great. He’s been staying in it, keeps talking to guys.

“He’s been here every day. It’s a tough situation. There are a lot of players on this team that don’t really understand. But it’s not for us to understand. It’s our job to play.”

Wade and Rondo had a curious history before coming to Chicago in free agency, and Wade has adjusted to the new situation better than his backcourt teammate.

“I heard about it before the first game he didn’t play,” Wade said. “Obviously, trying to get prepared for a game so I didn’t put myself too much in the position. But for him, it’s tough. He’s a good player in this league and has had some big games for us. The decision that was made obviously came from up top and the head coach.”

More than a couple teammates have said they didn’t understand why Rondo was benched, most notably Taj Gibson. Hoiberg wouldn’t comment on what the players were told and when.

“It’s just a tough position to be in, a tough situation,” Wade said. “It can be uncomfortable at times, especially when your teammates don’t know what’s going on and it’s not their job to know what’s going on. I think he has handled it great. But it still sucks. It’s unfortunate.”

And when Wade was prompted, as a veteran with considerable cachet and pull should he choose to exercise it, if he had any opinions on the decision to bench Rondo, he squashed that with relative humor, referring to himself in the third person.

“I ain’t into it. Don’t put me into none of that,” Wade said. “No upstairs, no downstairs decisions by Dwyane Wade.”