Riley expects Shaq to return to team Sunday

Heat center Shaquille O'Neal had his first treatment on his bothersome left hip Tuesday in Los Angeles and coach Pat Riley expects him back with the team Sunday.

"The initial reports of the testing and things like that have been positive," Riley said.

An MRI exam Monday showed inflammation and soft tissue damage and treatments began Tuesday. He will have more treatment Thursday and Saturday in Los Angeles before returning home.

O'Neal, who has bursitis, missed his sixth straight game Tuesday. He was injured when diving for a loose ball on Dec. 22 against Utah. He aggravated the injury four days later against Philadelphia and has not started since.

O'Neal was bothered by soreness in his right hip early in the season but started the first 29 games.

Mark Blount, who began the season as the Heat's third-string center behind O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning, started his fourth consecutive game Tuesday.

"Without Zo and Shaq we'll occasionally dump it down to Mark or dump it down to Udonis (Haslem), or, occasionally, myself or Ricky, but it's a totally different ballgame," Dwyane Wade said. "It's a style that we are comfortable with, and we've been in every game with, it's just a style we've got to stay with down the stretch."

Wright not ready: Forward Dorell Wright returned to the team Tuesday but missed his fourth straight game with a sprained left ankle.

Wright was limping badly after the morning shootaround Tuesday. He tested his ankle again before the game, but decide he could not play.

Meanwhile, Riley will stick with Chris Quinn as the starting point guard, for now, as Jason Williams regains his conditioning. Williams missed five games because of inflammation in his left knee before playing 15 minutes Saturday at Memphis.

"Ever since he got hurt he really just rested," Riley said. "He couldn't do any shooting. Memphis was the first basketball he had. He's rusty. (We'll) bring him back slowly."

Misery loves company: Riley compares what the Timberwolves are experiencing to the Heat of 2001-02 through 2003-04. Those teams won 36, 25 and 42 games, rebuilding with Caron Butler in 2002-03 before adding Wade and free agent Lamar Odom the next season.

Minnesota won 33 and 32 games the past two seasons and is on a pace to win just 10 this year but has three good young players: Al Jefferson, Randy Foye and former Florida star Corey Brewer.

"It's a very difficult process to go through," Riley said. "We went through it for two years and we got Caron Butler and Dwyane Wade in the draft and Lamar Odom in free agency and we were able to turn it around in 16 months. You have to have a lot of patience."