Posted on Tue, Mar. 25, 2008

The bad news is that the Charlotte Bobcats are back on the road tonight, opening a four-games-in-four-cities-over-five-nights western swing in Utah against the Jazz.

The good news is that Gerald Wallace, who suffered a serious concussion Feb. 22, is feeling more and more like his old self.

You could see that Saturday night, when Wallace dumped in 26 points in a home victory against Miami. But even Saturday, Wallace wasn't quite back.

"I didn't feel 100 percent Saturday, but Saturday I felt for the first time like I had all my energy," he said after Monday's practice. "I was able to get up and down the court, run and have fun. I'd say I was about 85 or 90 percent. But that was good progress for me in steps going forward."

Most importantly, all the symptoms of the concussion -- Wallace's fourth in the NBA -- are gone.

"I'm feeling pretty good," he said, sprawling in his corner of the Bobcats' locker room. "I'm starting to get back into the motion of things, the way I was before I got hurt. My body's starting to feel a lot better.

"Mentally, I'm starting to focus back in on where I was before I got hurt. So things are coming around, slowly but surely."

Wallace was out until March 12. He's played six games since, and while his statistics in those six trail his numbers before the injury, he appears to be making steady progress.

"Gerald's been great," said Bobcats coach Sam Vincent. "His legs are getting stronger; he's shooting the ball better. Defensively he's there. He's doing all the things; he's doing them gradually, he's not trying to force it. And I think he's going to finish up the season real strong."

When healthy, the 6-foot-7, quick and athletic Wallace is a huge key to Charlotte's game, offensively and defensively. That full speed is just around the corner for him is good news for a team that heads into a nasty road trip having lost five of six.

Wallace said he still has the bumps and bruises that come with playing in the NBA.

"After a game it's always tough for me," he said. "But it's getting better. All my symptoms are gone; everything's pretty much back to normal." Bobcats at Jazz | today, 9 p.m. TV: News14

`Things are coming around'

Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace's averages for the 49 games before his concussion Feb. 22 and the six games since:

	Min	Pts	Reb	Assists	Steals	Blocks
BEFORE	39.3	20.6	6.2	3.6	2.2	1.0
AFTER	31.0	15.5	5.3	2.2	1.2	0.5