Hawks' Tiago Splitter: Increasing activity in rehab

Splitter (hip) posted Friday on his personal Instagram account that he's started to do some sprinting during the rehab process.

Analysis:

Splitter had battled hip problems since last November, and after the pain became too much for him to bear, he underwent season-ending surgery in February. The center, who is in line to serve as the top backup to Dwight Howard when healthy, is now five months into his recovery, but isn't projected to return to action until October. While the hip procedure will prevent Splitter from suiting up for Brazil when the country hosts the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August, Splitter hasn't given up hope that he'll be ready to go for the start of the regular season.