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Injury Notes: Lakers, Jazz, Bulls, Heat

March 18th, 2022 at 9:53pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Anthony Davis is progressing each day as he inches closer to a return to action, as Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet tweets.

“Anthony has had a good week … He’s had a productive week,” Vogel said.

Davis continues to do spot shooting, which began on Monday. Davis originally suffered a right foot strain on February 16, so he’s a little more than four weeks into his four-to-six week recovery timetable.

Lakers reserves Carmelo Anthony and Wayne Ellington were both unable to play on Friday at Toronto due to non-COVID illnesses, Trudell relays (via Twitter).

Talen Horton-Tucker missed the game as well, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet (Twitter link). Horton-Tucker has been battling a Grade 2 ankle sprain.

Here are more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

The Jazz are dealing with a plethora of maladies at the moment. Six players were listed as out for Friday’s game against the Clippers, the team announced (Twitter link): Donovan Mitchell (right calf contusion), Bojan Bogdanovic (left calf strain), Danuel House (left knee bone bruise), Hassan Whiteside (non-COVID illness), Trent Forrest (right wrist sprain), and Udoka Azubuike (right ankle sprain).
Bulls coach Billy Donovan says Lonzo Ball has been experiencing discomfort in his rehab, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “He has not responded,” Donovan said. “There’s no setbacks. It’s still the same thing. He has not been able to do anything full speed. And anytime we get him close to that, there’s discomfort. So I think they’re going to probably at least look at, you know, ‘Do you back off and let him rest for a little bit and see if that helps?’” Johnson notes that Friday marked seven weeks since Ball underwent surgery to repair the torn meniscus in his left knee, and given his lack of progress, it seems highly unlikely he’ll return in the six-to-eight week recovery timetable Chicago originally provided. Donovan said there’s been no talk of Ball missing the remainder of the season, but the team is still determining the next steps in his recovery process.
On a more positive note, Donovan said Patrick Williams has been a full participant in G League practices with the Windy City Bulls, with no setbacks. He also said there was a “very real” possibility that Williams could return to action versus Toronto on Monday or Milwaukee on Tuesday, Johnson tweets. Williams has been targeting a return next week; he’s been out since October due to wrist surgery.
Jimmy Butler (sprained right ankle) and Victor Oladipo (back spasms) both missed the Heat‘s 120-108 win over the Thunder on Friday, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes. It’s the third time Butler has sprained his right ankle this season, Chiang notes, which is definitely a concerning trend. However, the injury isn’t considered serious. On the bright side, Caleb Martin (hyperextended left knee) and P.J. Tucker (left knee irritation) were both able to play after being listed as questionable. Martin had missed the past three games for the 47-24 Heat, who hold the No. 1 seed in the East.

Patrick Williams Targeting Return Next Week For Bulls

March 17th, 2022 at 12:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Forward Patrick Williams is targeting a return to the Bulls next week, as Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. Chicago assigned Williams to its G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, on Thursday afternoon. Williams has been sidelined since October following wrist surgery.

It was reported last night that Williams had been cleared for full contact work. The plan is for Williams to get reps in with Windy City prior to his NBA return next week.

Coach Billy Donovan said that Monday’s home game against Toronto was an unlikely return date for Williams, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). The Bulls also have three road games next week – Tuesday at Milwaukee, Thursday at New Orleans, and Saturday at Cleveland – so any of those contests are possibilities for Williams’ return.

Donovan said last month that there was a “very good possibility” that Williams would return in the regular season, so the second-year forward appears to be on track in his recovery progress. The coach plans to ease Williams back into the rotation, meaning he’ll probably be on a minutes restriction off the bench.

Williams, 20, was the fourth pick of the 2020 draft after one season at Florida State. He started all 71 of his games as rookie last season, putting up 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists on .483/.391/.728 shooting. A strong, versatile defender, Williams was limited to just five games this season before suffering torn ligaments in his left wrist, necessitating surgery.

Central Notes: Lopez, Connaughton, Williams, Bickerstaff

March 16th, 2022 at 10:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bucks center Brook Lopez was out of action so long that he even missed arguing with the referees, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. After playing on opening night, Lopez sat out nearly five months because of back issues. He had surgery on December 2 to repair a bulging disc and went through a long rehab process that kept him off the court until this Monday.

Lopez was restricted to 15 minutes during his first game back, but he mostly played the way he did when he helped bring a title to Milwaukee last season. He mishandled the ball occasionally because of a lack of timing, but he made all the defensive plays that he usually does, according to Nehm.

“I’ve been through injuries a few times and so it’s always just made me appreciate basketball, love it even more,” Lopez said. “I try never to take my time on the court for granted, whether it’s practice, shootaround or a game. And so that’s why I just try to be out there, whenever I’m out there, playing with energy, being enthusiastic, and above all, having fun, having a good time. And with the group we have, that’s easy. But yeah, I’m just so happy and blessed to be back out there. There’s not much else I want in the world than that.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Bucks guard Pat Connaughton is close to a return after having hand surgery last month, tweets Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Coach Mike Budenholzer indicated that Connaughton needs to go through one more practice before playing again.
The Bulls have cleared Patrick Williams for full contact as he works to return from wrist surgery, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Williams didn’t travel with the Bulls on their current three-game road trip, and he may practice or play for the team’s G League affiliate during that time. “A lot’s gonna now depend on how it goes once he does that (practices), and what does medical feel and he feel like (is) an ample amount of time for him to get comfortable actually going into a game,” coach Billy Donovan said.
J.B. Bickerstaff deserves Coach of the Year consideration for holding together a Cavaliers team that has been wrecked by injuries, argues Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Cleveland is still in contention for a top six spot in the East despite losing Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio early in the season and Jarrett Allen more recently. Vardon also says former Cavs coach Tyronn Lue should be recognized for the job he has done with the Clippers.

Bulls Notes: Williams, Ball, Dosunmu, LaVine, Brown

March 15th, 2022 at 2:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coach Billy Donovan remains confident that Patrick Williams will return sometime this month and he plans to slowly work the second-year forward back into the Bulls‘ rotation, writes Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. Williams, who was cleared for “minimal” contact last week, is nearing the five-month anniversary of his wrist surgery, which is approximately when the medical staff projected his return.

“He can play an important role for our team,” Donovan said. “If we were whole (when Williams returns), I think the best thing to do with him would be to ease him in and bring him off the bench. That’s just my opinion right now. I don’t think it would be fair to him, just to throw him — with the number of games he’s missed and the amount of months he’s missed — to say, his first game back: ‘Hey, he’s starting.’”

Williams was an immediate starter as a rookie and was being counted on to provide a strong defensive presence in the front court this season. However, Javonte Green and Derrick Jones Jr. have been effective substitutes at power forward since Williams was injured, and he will likely only play in a handful of games before the regular season ends.

“I think adding Patrick helps our team. But for a guy that’s missed five months, and the first day he comes back, just to unload him into the starting lineup, I don’t know if that would be the best thing for our team and I don’t know if that would necessarily be fair to Patrick,” Donovan said. “I think he is gonna need some time to get his legs under him, to get his rhythm back, to find some kind of routine. And I think as a starter, coming back, to put him in that position, I think would be a big ask for him.”

There’s more from Chicago:

Lonzo Ball is making progress after a surgical procedure in late January for a small meniscus tear in his left knee, but an MRI showed a bone bruise in the area that’s causing him pain, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Donovan said Ball is doing some “lateral work,” but isn’t running yet at full speed.
With Ball and Alex Caruso injured for much of the season, rookie guard Ayo Dosunmu has seized the opportunity to show he’s ready to contribute right away, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. The Bulls didn’t expect Dosunmu to play a major role this season, but he’s been productive since moving into the starting lineup on January 15. “It’s been huge,” Caruso said. “You lose ‘Zo, you lose me, two guys that you think are going to be the main point guards, ball handlers on the team. And you throw him in, playing that position is probably the hardest position in the league to play. It’s just really impressive.”
Dealing with some knee pain and returning from a one-game absence, Zach LaVine wasn’t pleased with how tentatively he played at the start of Monday’s game against Sacramento, as Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic details. “I’ve got to do a better job with just my mentality,” LaVine said. “I’m going out there and I’m playing through some pain in my knee injury, but I’ve got to have the right mindset. I can’t tiptoe into the game. It’s my first game back. I could put excuses out there, but I put that on myself. I made a mental decision in the second half to go out there and play like me. I’ve got to start off that way.”
With Caruso back and LaVine playing on Monday night, Troy Brown was pulled from Donovan’s nine-man rotation, Schafer notes in an NBC Sports Chicago story.

Injury Notes: Leonard, George, Bulls, D. Green, Reddish

March 9th, 2022 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard took part in a “rigorous” pregame workout that lasted well over an hour on Tuesday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports said during TNT’s broadcast (video link via Justin Russo). According to Haynes, it looked like Leonard had “zero limitations” during that workout, but head coach Tyronn Lue said the two-time Finals MVP still hasn’t been cleared for contact, as Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group relays.

Although Kawhi is clearly making progress, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski stated on Wednesday’s episode of NBA Today that a return this season is “more realistic” for teammate Paul George than for Leonard (video link). The Clippers haven’t ruled out the possibility of Leonard playing this spring, but Woj notes that it’s still been less than eight months since he underwent ACL surgery, which would be a very quick turnaround even if his recovery is ahead of schedule.

The Clippers are in position to make the play-in tournament and could extend their season by earning one of the West’s final two playoff spots, but the team may not be comfortable bringing back Leonard in the postseason without any regular season reps.

“I spoke to Coach Lue,” Haynes said on TNT last night. “And he told me that if he can’t get his guys back for games in the regular season, then it wouldn’t be safe for them to return in the playoffs.”

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

The Bulls have cleared Alex Caruso (wrist) for full contact and Patrick Williams (wrist) for “minimal” contact, per head coach Billy Donovan. As K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago writes, there’s still no set timeline for either player to return to action. However, if Caruso is able to fully participate in the team’s next practice on Friday, he could be on track to play soon.
Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said today that swingman Danny Green will “most likely” miss Thursday’s game vs. Brooklyn due to a finger laceration, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). Due to the risk of his stitches reopening, Green may end up being sidelined for a week or more, tweets Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com.
The Knicks have three games left on their current road trip, but forward Cam Reddish has returned to New York in order to have his injured right shoulder reevaluated, head coach Tom Thibodeau said today (Twitter link via Fred Katz of The Athletic). The injury, which Reddish sustained on Monday, is being called a sprain for now.

Central Notes: Ball, Caruso, Williams, Vucevic, Love, Jackson

March 6th, 2022 at 6:58pm CST by JD Shaw

Bulls guards Lonzo Ball (knee) and Alex Caruso (wrist) did individual, non-contact work at the team’s practice on Sunday, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets. Joining them was forward Patrick Williams (wrist), who hasn’t played since October.

Caruso will need to be checked by a doctor again before being cleared for contact, coach Billy Donovan said. Still, all three players are now traveling with the team, Johnson adds (Twitter link).

Chicago next plays at Philadelphia on Monday. Johnson notes the club hasn’t decided if Ball, Caruso and Williams will continue traveling to Detroit on Wednesday, as they could benefit more from rehabbing at home before the team returns Saturday.

Here are some other notes from the Central Division:

Bulls star Nikola Vucevic didn’t practice on Saturday due to hamstring tightness, according to K.C. Johnson (Twitter link). Vucevic did weightlifting work and is listed as questionable to play against Philadelphia on Monday. He finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and two steals in a loss to the Bucks on Friday.
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com examines how Kevin Love — a strong candidate for Sixth Man of the Year — found his basketball joy again. Love has revitalized his career with the Cavaliers this season, averaging 13.9 points and 7.1 rebounds in 22.1 minutes per game. He’s also shot 38.9% from three-point range, which is his highest mark since the 2017/18 campaign.
Pistons guard Frank Jackson (spine) will see a specialist and miss at least one more week, James Edwards III of The Athletic tweets. Jackson is receiving further evaluation after missing two straight games. He’s averaged a career-high 10.7 points per game this season.

Bulls Notes: Thompson, Williams, Ball, Caruso

February 27th, 2022 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Tristan Thompson is a long-time admirer of Dennis Rodman, so he’s thrilled to be playing in the city where “The Worm” won three championships, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Thompson signed with the Bulls last weekend after being waived by Indiana, and he hopes to emulate the success that Rodman had with the team.

“He was the first person I believe in this league in NBA history to be a star in their role,” Thompson said. “I remember saying that exact quote, saying ‘be a star in a role’ when we were on those runs in Cleveland, making those championship runs. He was definitely the definition of being a star in a role and that was something that I wanted to embody in my game.”

Thompson’s extensive playoff experience with the Cavaliers makes him an ideal addition for a team that needed a veteran big man to come off its bench. He’s already impressing his new teammates with his attention to detail.

“Even when he was in practice (Wednesday) night, things that he (saw) he’d chime in and correct right away,” DeMar DeRozan said. “He understands the game. He has a championship. He’s played on great teams. So he see a lot of things and jumped on it right away. He’s not hesitated to speak up and that’s a true leader.”

There’s more from Chicago:

The Bulls remain optimistic that Patrick Williams will be able to return this season after undergoing surgery on his left wrist in October, but he has several hurdles to clear before playing again, Poe states in a separate story. Williams has been shooting for months, but doctors want him to build up more strength in the wrist before clearing him for contact. Once that happens, he’ll have to go through practices and 5-on-5 scrimmages to get him ready for game action. With just six weeks left in the regular season, it’s uncertain how many games Williams might be available for.
Along with Williams, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso are expected to return from injuries at some point, which will present a new coaching challenge for Billy Donovan, Poe adds. “It’s much harder to reincorporate a player back into the rotation who’s been out for an extended period of time and doesn’t have a rhythm,” Donovan said. “We’re going to have guys moving in different roles, different situations. So there’s going to be another iteration of our team at some point in time where we’re going to have a very, very small number of games to try to be playing really good basketball.”
The Bulls have the fifth-best record in the league at 39-22, but they haven’t been impressive against likely playoff teams, notes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Saturday’s loss to Memphis left Chicago at 4-6 against the top six teams in the West and 2-8 against the six best teams in the East.

Central Notes: LeVert, Garland, Williams, Caruso, Haliburton, Brogdon

February 24th, 2022 at 10:19pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert will be out at least a week or two after spraining his right foot during Tuesday’s practice, Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer relays.

LeVert underwent an MRI on Wednesday, which confirmed the sprain. All-Star point guard Darius Garland also missed Thursday’s loss at Detroit due to lower back soreness. He’ll undergo a period of treatment and rehabilitation, according to a team press release.

Garland’s injury is muscular and will need to be managed throughout the remainder of the season, according to Fedor.

We have more from the Central Division:

Patrick Williams is getting closer to returning from wrist surgery but the 2020 lottery pick won’t automatically return to the Bulls’ starting lineup, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Staff-wise, as players get closer and closer to coming back, I think Javonte [Green] has done a really good job with that group in terms of how he’s fit in, what he’s been able to bring to the table in Patrick’s absence,’’ coach Billy Donovan said. “I’m not opposed to bringing Patrick off the bench and I’m not opposed to starting him. I think a lot of it is going to be once he can get back to practice, is there a minutes restriction on him, how many minutes can he play at a time, and what’s the best role for him to help our team?’’
Alex Caruso underwent surgery to repair a fractured right wrist on January 24th and had an six-to-eight week reevaluation timeline. The Bulls guard appears to be on schedule, according to Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. “We’re hoping by the end of this week, certainly early next week, that he’ll have a ball in his hands and be able to do things,” Donovan said. Williams has begun doing some dribbling and shooting work but Donovan said he needs to strengthen the wrist further before facing live contact.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle believes the backcourt pairing of Tyrese Haliburton and Malcolm Brogdon will produce big results, Wheat Hotchkiss of Pacers.com writes. “I think they’re perfect compliments to one another,” Carlisle said. “They both have had their share of playing with and without the ball so both positions come naturally to them. I’m looking forward to it. Really with those two guys and their knowledge of the game, feel for the game, I should never have to call a play. “

Bulls Notes: Thompson, Williams, Standing Pat, Luxury Tax

February 10th, 2022 at 4:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tristan Thompson is currently a Pacer, but the Bulls would be interested in his services if he’s bought out by Indiana, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets. Thompson was thrown into the Domantas Sabonis–Tyrese Haliburton blockbuster between Indiana and Sacramento for salary-matching purposes. The two parties are reportedly mulling a buyout of his $9.7MM expiring contract. Chicago didn’t add to its frontcourt prior to the trade deadline.

We have more on the Bulls:

According to the team’s top executive, Arturas Karnisovas, Patrick Williams will return from his injury this season, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets. Mid-March is the soft target date for Williams’ comeback. Williams has been sidelined since late October after undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left wrist. At the time, the Bulls gave a recovery timeline of four-to-six months.
Williams’ expected return, as well the hope that Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso will eventually rejoin the rotation after recovering from their injuries, were factors in the Bulls’ decision to stand pat on deadline day, Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago tweets. “We were taking calls, but the mutual feeling with all of our group was: ‘Let’s get out guys back,” Karnisovas said. “We’re going to have enough time in the regular season to see what this group can do healthy.’”
Karnisovas was somewhat evasive when asked if he had the green light to go beyond the luxury tax threshold in future seasons, Schaefer adds in another tweet. While noting the front office has been “pretty aggressive” in its acquisitions over the last nine months, Karnisovas said, “When the opportunity will present itself, I think we’re going to evaluate that. That’s it.”

Patrick Williams To Return In Regular Season?

February 6th, 2022 at 1:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Bulls coach Billy Donovan says there’s a “very good possibility” that second-year forward Patrick Williams will return during the regular season, barring any setbacks, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link). Donovan hedged the statement by saying he’s not sure when Williams might return and it isn’t certain, but he’s optimistic about the forward’s recovery progress.

Williams has been sidelined since late October after undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left wrist. At the time, the Bulls gave a recovery timeline of four-to-six months.

The end of February would be four months out from surgery. If Williams returns around that time, he’d have roughly 20 regular season games left to build up his endurance and get a rhythm prior to a potential playoff run. If it’s closer to the end of March, there would be less than 10 games remaining. Chicago’s last regular season game is April 10, at Minnesota.

Williams, 20, was the No. 4 pick in the 2020 draft and played strong defense last season as a rookie, starting all 71 games in which he appeared and averaging 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per contest. He’s played just five games this season due to the wrist injury.

Last month Williams made progress in his recovery, going from a hard cast to a removable brace. His name has been floated in trade rumors this season, but the Bulls are very high on the young forward and reportedly remain resistant to the idea of discussing him in trades, unless they’re overwhelmed by an offer.

The Bulls have dealt with a multitude of injuries to key players this season, including Williams, Zach LaVine (knee, back spasms), Lonzo Ball (knee surgery), Derrick Jones Jr. (knee), and Alex Caruso (wrist surgery). LaVine will miss his second straight game Sunday with back spasms, Johnson tweets.

Despite the injury woes, the resilient Bulls are first in the East with a 33-19 record, led by a stellar season from All-Star starter DeMar DeRozan.