After being cleared by doctors to participate in practices, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio is still unsure when he'll be ready to suit up for games.

Rubio, who underwent left knee surgery to torn ligaments about eight months, still doesn't have an exact date to return to the court but remains optimistic.

"No idea," Rubio said during his first team workout. "It's going to be my first practice with contact. I don't know how I'm going to feel, if I'm going to feel great, if I'm going to feel weak. I don't have any idea. I have it all in my mind, 'Ooh, I want to practice. I want to dunk.' But I don't think I can.

"I think the most difficult part is being patient. You can't do more than they said because you can get hurt. Being patient is hard. It's hard but it is what it is. You just have to work as hard as you can and that's it."

Though a date is still not yet announced, Rubio has said that he has almost 100 percent full movement in the surgically-repaired knee, and feels good about his ability to slash and cut to the basket.

Rubio also said though he had done a lot of running, he has a ways to go to be in basketball game shape; he said he will do some extra sprint work after practices to regain that.

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