Eric Bledsoe

The plan remains for Bledsoe to return to the Suns' active roster on Wednesday vs. the Cavs, but he's yet to be officially declared out for Monday vs. the Clippers and there remains a possibility that he'd be activated if he were to declare himself ready. We're continuing to consider him doubtful for Monday for now. Coach Jeff Hornacek said he "might" bring Bledsoe off the bench initially, and his productivity and minutes will dip a bit upon his return in any case. Bledsoe will poach his minutes from Gerald Green, PJ Tucker, and Ish Smith as he works his way back to full strength.

Bledsoe played 5-on-5 in practice on Tuesday and will continue to do so on Wednesday as he works to improve his conditioning in preparation for a return to the court. Coach Jeff Hornecek said Bledsoe "was a little sore today, but that's good," calling it training camp soreness and saying his knee is okay. Hornacek said a few weeks back that once Bledsoe is given the green light to practice in full (which he has), he'll need another three-to-four days before playing in games. He won't be back on Tuesday, but a return on Thursday vs. the Thunder is possible (though we're considering him doubtful). His productivity and minutes will dip a bit upon his return, but at this point Bledsoe should be considered a must-stash in standard formats.

Bledsoe did not experience any setbacks or unusual soreness from his 3-on-3 work, and played 5-on-5 in practice on Saturday. Coach Jeff Hornacek said Bledsoe ran well and hard in 5-on-5, and general manager Ryan McDonough said you could still "see the burst" of athleticism. Bledsoe remains without a definitive timetable or target date, as the team is unlikely to announce one until he is fully ready, but is making marked progress and is clearly taking the steps necessary to make a return in the near future. Coach Jeff Hornacek said Bledsoe continues to look good as he progresses, and conditioning will be a factor in how soon he returns. He underwent surgery on Jan. 10 and is seven weeks into an initial four-to-six week timetable. A return within the next 10-14 days is certainly within reason and makes him close to a must-stash in standard formats.

Bledsoe played 3-on-3 during Monday's practice, his first work beyond the individual rehab he has been doing. Coach Jeff Hornacek said he "went hard", and more importantly, Bledsoe had no soreness in his surgically repaired knee on Tuesday. He will continue to ramp things up daily barring setbacks. "Eric felt good today. He's continuing to progress well," Hornacek said of Bledsoe's rehab. "We'll continue to work him and see how it goes." Bledsoe is currently a little over four weeks into an initial four-to-six week timetable, and a return within the next two weeks is certainly within reason and makes him close to a must-stash in standard formats.

Bledsoe's rehab intensified on Saturday with more moves and some 1-on-1 work with Suns' player development coach Corey Gaines. He is still about a week away from resuming practicing with the team, if all progress and check-ups continue to go as well as they have thus far. Coach Jeff Hornacek had previously stated that once Bledsoe is given the green light to practice he'll need an additional three-to-four days before playing in games. Friday marked six weeks into an initial six-to-eight week timetable. His eventual return will take a few minutes from Gerald Green, with the majority coming from Ish Smith and Leandro Barbosa.

Friday marks five weeks since Bledsoe's knee surgery, and he's progressing "as expected" but continues to work without a specific timetable. All parties involved do continue to take the long view, but Suns beat writer Paul Coro reports there is optimism among some in the organization that he could return "not long after the All-Star break." Bledsoe has progressed to running on a treadmill and shots on the court with some lift involved. Coach Jeff Hornacek remained non-specific, saying, "So they're going to probably be on the cautious side of when he comes back, but we still think it'll be some time before the end of the season."