The Chicago Bulls have not played in an NBA game in 8 days. After an ugly outbreak of COVID that spread throughout the team the league stepped in and postponed two games. At one point the Bulls had 10 players in the league’s health and safety protocols. Now here we are 8 days since the team’s last game and the Bulls are officially back. The team is set to tip-off against the Los Angeles Lakers in Chicago tonight. However, the Bulls won’t be at full strength when they hit the court tonight. The team’s injury/protocol list for tonight is a lengthy one but it’s not all bad.
Bulls injury report vs. LAL tomorrow:
AVAILABLE: Coby White, Javonte Green, DeMar DeRozan
QUESTIONABLE: Derrick Jones Jr. (return to competition reconditioning)
DOUBTFUL: Matt Thomas (protocols)
OUT: Zach LaVine, Ayo Dosunmu, Troy Brown Jr., Alize Johnson (protocols), P-Will
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) December 18, 2021
The Bulls will see starting forward DeMar DeRozan return along with key role players Coby White and Javonte Green. The team is also hopeful that forward Derrick Jones Jr. will be returning to the court as he has cleared health and safety protocols. Jones was seen putting up shots in the team’s morning shootaround so his return tonight is looking better.
Derrick Jones Jr. is getting shots up with Javonte Green after Bulls’ morning shootaround. DJJ is out of protocols, but questionable vs. Lakers as he reconditions
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) December 19, 2021
While he may not play a ton of minutes he could still be a much-needed addition for the Bulls as their roster is still not at full strength. Either way, the Bulls are in a much better position than they were 8 days ago. The only question remaining is how will the Bulls fare as they await the return of the rest of the team?
Scheduling may be in the team’s favor
The Bulls will be without some key players until after Christmas per head coach Billy Donovan.
Zach LaVine, Ayo Dosunmu and Alize Johnson aren't expected to return out of COVID-19 protocols until after Christmas, Billy Donovan says.
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) December 16, 2021
Add Troy Brown Jr. to the list of players that will be out until after Christmas and the Bulls are still a team that is going to be lacking depth. This team is going to need to take each game one at a time and ensure they do whatever they can to come out with wins. Sitting at the #2 spot in the East the Bulls can’t let it slip away due to having players out. Luckily for the Bulls, their schedule should work in their favor as they wait for guys to return.
Tonight the Bulls will meet the Lakers which normally would be tough. However, they are also dealing with COVID problems and have quite a few players out. Add the recent injury to forward Anthony Davis and the Lakers are not the same team they once were. While it isn’t a guaranteed win it’s certainly will be a bit easier for the Bulls. After the Lakers, they play Houston & Toronto. The day after Christmas is a matchup with the Pacers. While no game is a guaranteed win in the league the Bulls will certainly be up against lesser talent in those three games. That will hopefully put the Bulls in a position to be 3-0 as they get back to full strength all while maintaining the #2 seed in the East.
Expect more postponed games
If you have only been following the Bulls you may have missed what is going on throughout the league. COVID is running wild through NBA teams and it’s causing more postponements. This is likely going to put the Bulls in a position where some games may be moved. While the Bulls should be good now that most people have had COVID on the team that doesn’t mean their competition will be in the same position. It’s already getting to the point where the NBA postponed three games today. Just 6 days out from Christmas Day and things aren’t looking great.
Christmas Day slate will be the intriguing one. That’s a huge day for the league. Hopefully, scheduled teams will have enough players. https://t.co/QN5fYe4FT0
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) December 19, 2021
Hopefully, we see the end of all of this within the next month and the league can get back to normal. The second half of the season is going to be much more packed as games continue to get postponed. While that is unfortunate for the team this isn’t new to them as they had a lot of back-to-back games last season due to COVID postponements. Either way, the players that are back are ready to get going and back into a routine.
Time to get back to work
DeMar DeRozan has been great for the Bulls this season and it’s clear that he’s ready to continue his level of play. He’s fully charged and ready to go after a “boring” time in the league’s health and safety protocols.
DeMar DeRozan: "I felt completely fine. That was the crazy thing, sitting here physically fine…Only symptom I had was boredom, honestly."
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) December 18, 2021
It’s good to hear that DeRozan was symptomless and is now ready to get back into the swing of things. Along with other teammates returning from health and safety protocols, it sounds like the Bulls are ready to go. This team has fought hard this season and wants to continue being a dominating force in the East. The team’s 8-day break was a blessing in disguise as it allowed guard Alex Caruso to fully heal from a hamstring injury. He’s been another key piece for the Bulls and he sounds ready to roll.
At Bulls shoot, Alex Caruso confirmed his right hamstring has healed. Said it felt good going into Miami game, team's week-long pause has helped his conditioning
"I'm really just looking forward to getting back to games, getting some kind of normalcy back into our routine."
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) December 19, 2021
He’s a tough competitor and will certainly be a big piece as the Bulls try to win with a limited roster. A fully healthy Alex Caruso is a dangerous Caruso.
Overall this team appears ready to go even with everything going on around the league and within the team. Hopefully, the Bulls can keep the ship upright until everyone returns. With Billy Donovan leading the team I have a lot of faith in them staying in a good position. With only three games (hopefully) to focus on the Bulls just need to get wins and keep moving forward. While this has been an unfortunate time for the Bulls hopefully this puts them in a position where COVID won’t be impacting the team again this season.
One thing is for sure, the Bulls are officially back and have the Lakers in their sights.
