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It's been more than a month since Rodney Hood has played a game of a basketball, but the Jazz rookie is optimistic that streak is about to end. "Yeah. I expect to play," the 6-foot-8 swingman told reporters Wednesday, when asked about his availability for Friday night's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. "I'll be on restricted minutes. We'll see how practice goes tomorrow … and go from there." Hood was only a partial participant in Utah's first practice back from the all-star break. Joe Ingles, who has missed three straight games with back spasms, was a full participant Wednesday. "Good," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said of how the rookie looked on the court. "Rodney wasn't able to play 5 on 5. He wasn't live yet. But it was good to have him out there. He seems to have good bounce. We'll take that day by day and hopefully he'll do a little more [Thursday] and see where he is Friday." Injuries to both feet have caused Hood to miss extended time this season. The rookie has played in just 24 games to date, averaging 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds. "It's been tough," he said. "But mentally, I learn a lot just sitting out and watching the guys. I try to stay in tune what what we're doing. From their perspective, I've been doing good. But physically I want to be out there with the team. But we've got a lot of basketball left and hopefully I can get it going." — Aaron Falk