Bulls center Nikola Vucevic has become the latest player to enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols, a source tells K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), Vucevic has tested positive for COVID-19.
Based on the league’s protocols, Vucevic is expected to be sidelined for at least 10 days. According to Johnson (via Twitter), the big man won’t travel with the Bulls when they leave for their five-game road trip today.
Several players around the NBA are currently in the league’s health and safety protocols after reportedly testing positive for the coronavirus. The Sixers have experienced the biggest outbreak and faced the Bulls twice last week. Joel Embiid, who played in those games vs. Chicago on Wednesday and Saturday, tested positive for COVID-19 and entered the NBA’s protocols on Monday.
Vucevic, 31, is off to a slow start this season, averaging just 13.6 PPG on 39.5% shooting in 11 games (34.2 MPG). However, he has contributed 10.9 RPG and a career-best 4.3 APG, and his offensive struggles certainly haven’t slowed down the Bulls so far. The team is tied for the top seed in the Eastern Conference with an 8-3 record.
With Vucevic on the shelf, backup bigs Tony Bradley and Alize Johnson will slide up the depth chart, and Chicago may lean more heavily on small-ball lineups.
annnnd GSW plays the Bulls Friday, with Draymond hurting after getting a knee to his thigh, GSW can now rest Draymond, huge.
Season is magical, I l0ve that I called it from the preseason, so its true that every second of this season I have never not thought this isnt the best team in the West, and I will keep thinking this for every second of this season. Its such a blessing to enjoy basketball while its at its skill peak! I said GSW were a 65-17 team this year but felt they could hit 70 if they dont get injured too much, and they’re tracking that way!
This is things coming full circle. I thought last year the team got relatively few bye games where the opponents were missing everyone to HaS protocols. They mostly last year played full squads while being at something like 9-12 man team.
This year they have had far better luck. Wiseman likely to return after this road trip, Klay after the next, and OPJ/Andre getting rested enough to keep them healthy.
They played 8 men for the last 2 months. Nico and Smiley took up roster spots while being totally unplayable. It was Steph, Dray, Wiggs and literally no one else. That team still had the 8th best record at 39-33, so they werent even bad.
This year our 15th man is Gary Paytonwestbrook 2. All 15 guys are high IQ players. Kerr failed last year because he kept running the KD plays with idiots like Bazemore and Oubre, now he’s running them again but they’re working, because there’s no low IQ guys there to blow the play. Iggy is there now and he’s been revitalized. The result = beautiful, perfect basketball. Each game is a gift now, and I and all NBA fans should be savoring them, no matter what klutch media decides we are supposed to watch/talk about.
yeah im a clippers fan but i love watching the warriors play. curry is the best player in the game right now imo with KD second or 1b. i think they can win it all
Don’t leave out the fact that they have 3 of the top 10 defenders in the NBA right now, and once Klay comes back it will be four. Right?
Golden State isn’t going to win 65 games this year. Seriously?
It’s really dumb that they made the Sixers keep playing their games. Now the whole league can get sick
I had the sniffles this summer too
Bulls probably will give Simonovic some minutes. Similar player to Vooch, like a young, raw version – apparently a fan of his, which was one reason he came over this year.
Yes it’s sometimes things like this that gives a guy a shot. Let’s see what he can do. Blessing in disguise a lot of times.
Sort of the same thing with the nuggets as Morris developes into a starter, then when Murray comes back he’ll be acquainted with big minutes and big games and big situations.
As a piggyback note, I’m hoping Jordan Poole grows in a major way and does not settle into a gunslinger who’s 11-18 one night and 2 for 11 the next two nights. Fingers crossed that he takes this time of Klay Thompson’s absence and runs with it as far as development goes.
Poole has really come a long way since his rookie season when he was being labeled as a bust by many, which was obviously premature.
A little bit up and down year lets them extend him next offseason when he comes eligible for a not back breaking sum before he fully blossoms at 24 or 25.
Simonovic is much thinner than Vucevic. Think Simonovic will get killed inside. But now is the time for Simonovic to get used to the NBA. No other choice actually.
Very concerning, considering Vučević’s poor defensive capabilities.
Vucevic has the 9th highest defensive rating. There’s more to defense than blocks and steals. He gets many deflections and has excelled defensively in our system. Can he stop Embiid in the post, no, but he can make it difficult. link to statmuse.com
I took his comment as a joke. Maybe it wasn’t intended that way but I thought he was playing around with his defensive immune abilities to fight off sickness?
Agree with you. Almost no team can match up with Embiid.