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Injury Notes: Curry, Martin, Booker, Craig, Giannis, Markkanen

March 5th, 2024 at 9:38am CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets will be without injured wings Seth Curry and Cody Martin for at least two weeks, the team announced on Monday (Twitter link). Both players were injured in Friday’s loss to Philadelphia, with Curry spraining his right ankle and Martin suffering a left ankle sprain.

The banged-up Hornets had already been playing without a pair of key starters in LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams. Martin had been a fixture in the starting lineup for the better part of the past two months, while Curry got his first start on Friday since being traded to Charlotte at last month’s deadline.

It’s an unfortunate setback for Martin, who missed most of last season and the first two months of this season due to a knee issue. The Hornets guard/forward had been looking more like his old self in recent weeks before heading back to the injured list over the weekend.

As for Curry, this injury clouds his availability for a showdown vs. the Warriors in Charlotte later this month. That game is expected to reunite Seth with his brother Stephen Curry and their father Dell Curry (a Hornets broadcaster) in the city where the brothers grew up. If Seth is ready to return – or at least close to returning – when he’s reevaluated in two weeks, he could still suit up for that March 29 game.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Sources told Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic on Monday that Devin Booker‘s recovery timeline for his sprained right ankle is expected to be in the range of five-to-14 days, with five days as a best-case outcome and two weeks representing a worst-case scenario. Earlier in the day on Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic had projected a seven-to-10 day timeline for the Suns guard.
Injured Bulls wing Torrey Craig is ramping up his activity as he makes his way back from a right knee sprain, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who says Craig was doing individual work on Monday. Head coach Billy Donovan told reporters that the veteran will be on a minutes restriction upon his return, which may not be far off. “I don’t know about this road trip, (but) it’s not out of the question,” Donovan said. “A lot of it depends on how he continues to progress, but I think the medical guys are pretty optimistic of where he is at this point and time, so he’s definitely progressing closer and closer to playing.”
A pair of star forwards sat out on Monday, as Giannis Antetokounmpo (left Achilles tendinitis) missed the Bucks‘ game against the Clippers while Lauri Markkanen (right quad contusion) was unavailable for the Jazz‘s matchup with the Wizards (Twitter links via Eric Nehm of The Athletic and Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune). There’s no indication at this point that either injury is more significant than a day-to-day issue.

Torrey Craig Has Right Knee Sprain, Out Multiple Weeks

February 20th, 2024 at 6:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls forward Torrey Craig suffered a right knee sprain while working out during the All-Star break, the team’s PR department tweets. Craig will be reevaluated in two-to-four weeks.

Craig, who started regularly for the Suns last season, has appeared in 33 games (eight starts) this season in Chicago. The defensive stalwart is averaging 6.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21 minutes per game.

It’s the second significant injury Craig has suffered this season. He was sidelined in mid-December with an acute sprain of his right plantar fascia and didn’t return until Feb. 3.

Craig signed a two-year, $5.4MM contract during free agency last summer that includes a player option for next season.

Craig has mainly been used as an undersized power forward. The team’s starting power forward, Patrick Williams, is also dealing with an injury. He’s been out since Jan. 25 due to a left foot issue and isn’t close to returning.

Coach Billy Donovan said on Tuesday that Williams hasn’t started running yet and the staff is being “very, very careful” with the former lottery pick, who is still experiencing mild discomfort in the foot, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets.

The frontcourt injuries could spur the Bulls to find help on the buyout market. They have an open roster spot.

Bulls Notes: LaVine, Trade Talks, Ball, Craig

February 3rd, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Zach LaVine and the Bulls explored several options before the decision was made to have surgery to relieve the pain in his right foot, writes Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. The team announced earlier today that LaVine has opted for a surgical procedure with a projected recovery time of four-to-six months, which should have him ready well before the start of training camp.

“Everybody’s been in lockstep,” coach Billy Donovan told reporters before tonight’s game. “It wasn’t necessarily an organizational decision of, ‘Hey, listen, he needs to do surgery.’ It was, like, ‘Listen, this is still a problem. We need to start talking to other people as well to try to get different opinions.’”

LaVine missed 17 games earlier in the season because of discomfort in his foot. He was able to return and play seven games last month before suffering a sprained right ankle. That injury has healed, but LaVine is once again being bothered by foot pain. Donovan expressed empathy for his star guard, saying he hates being sidelined with injuries.

“Personally, I feel bad for him,” Donovan added. “I know how bad he wants to play and how badly he wants to be out there. When he can’t be out there, it just bothers him. He just wants to play.”

There’s more from Chicago:

The Bulls’ most recent trade discussions with the Pistons regarding LaVine focused on Bojan Bogdanovic and Joe Harris, league sources tell K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. The sources weren’t certain if there were draft picks involved from either team. Johnson also speculates on whether LaVine’s surgery will affect the front office’s desire to hold onto DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso through the trade deadline in hopes of chasing a spot in the postseason. Johnson identifies the Warriors as one of several teams that have inquired about Caruso.
Lonzo Ball provided an update on his condition during an appearance on the NBC Sports Chicago telecast of Friday’s game, Johnson relays in a separate story. Ball, who has been sidelined for more than two full years and has undergone three knee surgeries, said he’s trying to stay positive and appreciate little signs of progress. “Definitely doing much better in rehab,” he said. “It’s been a long process, obviously, longer than I’d like it to be. It’s definitely cut out in stages and I keep checking off the boxes I’m supposed to and getting better each week.”
Torrey Craig returned tonight after missing the last 22 games due to right plantar fascia, Johnson tweets.

Zach LaVine To Remain Sidelined Through Trade Deadline

February 2nd, 2024 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Bulls guard Zach LaVine won’t be back on the court before next Thursday’s trade deadline.

Speaking today to reporters, including K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago (Twitter link), head coach Billy Donovan said that LaVine’s right ankle sprain has healed, but he’s still feeling discomfort in his right foot and will require at least one more week of rest.

The star guard has missed the Bulls’ past six contests after being sidelined for 17 games earlier this season due to a right foot issue.

“It bugs you, a bony, prominent area,” LaVine said back in December about his foot pain, per Johnson (Twittter link). “You really don’t want to start messing around with that, that fifth metatarsal area and it gets more and more irritated. It’s just smart to calm it down now to where I can get back to 100% and hopefully finish the season strong and help everybody out.”

LaVine will likely require a ramp-up period to get back in game shape even if his foot is feeling better in a week, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s held out through the All-Star break. The Bulls’ last game prior to All-Star weekend is on February 14 in Cleveland.

Of course, it’s possible that LaVine has played his last game as a Bull and will be on a new team by the time he’s ready to return, given that he has been involved in trade rumors all season. However, his value was already down this season due to his dip in production, his maximum-salary contract, and his injury history — a nagging foot issue won’t do anything to improve his stock on the trade market.

In more positive Bulls injury news, forward Torrey Craig appears to be on the verge from returning from the right plantar fascia injury that has kept him on the shelf since December 16. Donovan said today that Craig practiced in full and could be available on Saturday if he feels good during Chicago’s shootaround (Twitter link via Johnson).

Central Notes: Haliburton, Bulls Injuries, Phillips, Lillard

February 1st, 2024 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

When Tyrese Haliburton returned on January 19 from a five-game absence due to a left hamstring strain, he played 35 minutes, then immediately returned to the inactive list. Following another five-game layoff due to that troublesome hamstring, the Pacers are taking a more cautious approach with their star point guard this time around, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.

Haliburton played only 22 minutes in his return in Boston on Tuesday, including just six in the second half. Head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed after the game that the All-Star is on a minutes restriction, which will likely continue at least through the rest of this week.

“It frustrates me,” Haliburton said. “I want to be on the floor. But it’s this organization’s job to protect me from myself. I’m a competitor. I want to compete, but I understand it at the end of the day. … I think that everybody wants to be safe and keep me on the floor as much as they can.”

The Pacers’ goal for Haliburton is to keep him on the court for as many games as possible the rest of the way, not just to improve their odds of a playoff berth in the East, but to ensure that he has a chance to earn All-NBA honors, which would increase the value of his five-year, maximum-salary extension by more than $40MM. Players must appear in at least 65 regular season games to qualify for end-of-season awards such as All-NBA.

Haliburton has already missed 13 games this season and fell short of the required 15-minute minimum in a 14th, but he essentially earned a bonus game toward his required 65 when the Pacers qualified for the in-season tournament final. That game doesn’t count toward the regular season results, but it will count toward Haliburton’s game total, Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files confirms. That means the 23-year-old could miss up to four more contests this season and still be eligible for an All-NBA spot.

Here’s more from around the Central:

Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times passes along some injury updates on the Bulls, writing that Zach LaVine continues to deal with foot discomfort, while Dalen Terry is receiving treatment on a sprained ankle that kept him out of Wednesday’s game in Charlotte. However, head coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls are optimistic Terry will be back “relatively soon” and believe Torrey Craig is also “very close” to returning from the right foot injury that has sidelined him since mid-December.
Even once Craig is available, the Bulls may continue relying on rookie forward Julian Phillips for rotation minutes, at least until Patrick Williams is ready to return from his own foot injury. Donovan is confident that Phillips, who has averaged 18.3 minutes in the past three games, can handle the increased responsibilities, per Annie Constabile of The Chicago Sun-Times. “I give him credit for keeping himself ready and giving us a really good boost off the bench,” Donovan said. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in him in terms of the way he has worked to prepare himself to get in there. Anytime somebody scores and makes some shots, it always looks good, but I also thought his activity was really good, as well.”
While Damian Lillard didn’t pick up a win in his return to Portland on Wednesday night, the Bucks guard is getting more comfortable in Milwaukee after a relocation process he described as “unsettling.” Jamal Collier of ESPN has the story and the quotes from Lillard.

LaVine Assigned To NBAGL For Practice, Could Return Friday

January 3rd, 2024 at 6:05pm CST by Rory Maher

January 3: LaVine’s practices have gone well with no setbacks and he could return on Friday against the Hornets, Donovan said on Wednesday (Twitter link via ESPN’s Tim Bontemps).

January 1: The Bulls have assigned guard Zach LaVine to the G League for his first contact practice since he was shelved by a foot injury in late November, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

As Johnson explains, seeing how the foot responds is LaVine’s final hurdle in his recovery process, with a return possibly coming as soon as Friday against Charlotte if the two-time All-Star doesn’t experience a setback.

The team decided to keep LaVine and fellow injured teammates Nikola Vucevic and Torrey Craig back in Chicago while the Bulls traveled to Philadelphia to begin Tuesday’s back-to-back road trip against Philadelphia and New York, Johnson adds. That will give LaVine more practice time with Windy City, Chicago’s NBAGL affiliate.

“I like having those guys on the bench just with their voice. I think it’s always good. But their health is the most important thing and getting the back to play,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “There’s more that they’ll have access to (in Chicago) because they’re all at a point where they can really do stuff on the court. . . . It’s a lot easier for them (in Chicago).”

According to Johnson, while the Bulls have gone 10-5 since LaVine last played, his coach and teammates are “adamant” that Chicago’s improved play is merely a coincidence and he can help the team win.

LaVine, of course, is one of the high-profile players who has been involved in trade rumors for several months. A healthy and productive return to the court could be a catalyst for a deal, with his market rumored to be limited to this point.

Central Notes: Merrill, Craig, LaVine, Nembhard, Pistons

December 22nd, 2023 at 10:02am CST by Luke Adams

In the midst of his best stretch of the season, Cavaliers wing Sam Merrill woke up on Thursday morning with a sore right wrist after falling on it on Wednesday, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).

Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to continue playing an increased role for the banged-up Cavs, Merrill attempted to fight through the pain, but was clearly bothered by the injury and didn’t play in the second half of Thursday’s loss to New Orleans, as Fedor details.

“When it rains, it pours,” forward Dean Wade said of Merrill joining an increasingly crowded Cavs injury list. “It sucks, but we’ve still got to go out there and play a game. We’ve got, I don’t know how many healthy bodies we’ve got, but still got to go out there and fight.”

“It was definitely tough for us. He’s been lights out the last two games,” Jarrett Allen added. “He came in and he tried to pull through, tried to rough it out with the hurt hand. Sadly, he couldn’t do it. But it happens. It’s been the cascade of players going down for us, so we just have to keep going.”

With Ty Jerome, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley sidelined due to longer-term injuries, the Cavaliers could theoretically qualify for a hardship exception if a fourth player goes down. But hardship exceptions are only available to teams with full rosters — Cleveland already has an open spot that the team has thus far been unwilling to fill due to luxury tax concerns.

As we await more details on Merrill’s injury, here are more notes from around the Central:

Bulls forward Torrey Craig believes the eight-to-10 week recovery timeline the team provided when announcing his right foot injury is too long, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. Craig said on Thursday that he’s a fast healer and that he intends to beat that timeline, assuming his rehab goes well.
In other Bulls injury news, Zach LaVine is making good progress in his recovery from his own right foot injury and is expected to start cutting next week, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “He’s going to hopefully start to jump shooting, running, increase the speed,” Donovan said of what LaVine’s rehab. “He’s actually running at a pretty good clip straight ahead, and then moving toward next week is when they would probably start some of that running, changing direction, kind of curve running to see how he responds.” As Cowley details, LaVine could be cleared to resume basketball activities and begin practicing again if he responds well next week.
After missing six games due to a bone bruise, Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard returned to action on Friday in Memphis and looked good in his 16 minutes on the court, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
Something has to change for the 2-26 Pistons, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who says that “a shakeup needed to happen yesterday” and that everyone – from players to coaches to the front office to ownership – bears blame for this season’s disaster.

Bulls Forward Torrey Craig Sidelined For Extended Period

December 19th, 2023 at 5:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bulls forward Torrey Craig has been diagnosed with an acute sprain of his right plantar fascia and won’t return to action until sometime after the All-Star break, according to a team press release.

Craig will be immobilized for approximately four weeks, followed by a period of rehabilitation projected to require an additional four-to-six weeks. The injury, which he suffered in the second quarter at Miami on Saturday, was revealed following an MRI on Tuesday.

It’s a significant blow to the team’s frontcourt. Craig was signed during free agency to a two-year contract that included a player option for next season. He’s been a major part of Billy Donovan‘s rotation.

Craig, noted for his defense, is averaging 6.1 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per night through 27 games, including seven starts. Craig, who turned 33 on Tuesday, played the last two-and-a-half seasons with Phoenix.

Craig had been backing up Patrick Williams at power forward. Terry Taylor, who has only appeared in six games, and second-round pick Julian Phillips could see a significant rise in playing time. The Bulls could also go with a number of smaller lineups to make up for Craig’s absence.

Bulls Notes: Dosunmu, White, DeRozan, Craig, Vucevic

December 18th, 2023 at 6:32pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Young Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu is using the recent growth of fellow Chicago guard Coby White as motivation to hopefully galvanize his own development, writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

With Zach LaVine sitting out and White now firmly ensconced as the club’s starting point guard, the fifth-year guard has made the most of his extended opportunity. Since LaVine first sat on November 30, White has been averaging 25.6 PPG on .493/.494/.811 shooting splits, 6.5 APG, 6.3 RPG, and 0.9 SPG. Chicago has gone 5-3 in that span. The team will play tonight against the Sixers, and White is no doubt looking to have another big game.

“It’s motivation because I understand what he went through his second, third, fourth year,” Dosunmu said. “Me seeing that front-hand, that gives me motivation to keep going, gives me motivation to rise to the occasion. We push each other to be great. When I see him doing what he’s doing now, it’s nothing but giving me excitement.”

Dosunmu and White both inked new deals over the summer to remain with Chicago. In 25 games per season, the third-year Dosunmu is averaging 7.0 PPG on a .479/.354/.708 slash line, along with 2.0 RPG and 1.9 APG.

There’s more out of Chicago:

Bulls All-Star small forward DeMar DeRozan is excited for the positive direction his club has taken of late, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. DeRozan particularly remains high on his head coach, Billy Donovan. “I tell a lot of the young players that you don’t really know what you have,” DeRozan said. “To have such a great personable coach, hard-working coach in Billy, don’t ever take that for granted because it’s not always greener on the other side.” It’s encouraging for Bulls fans that DeRozan is this enthused. He’s extension-eligible this season, though if he and Chicago can’t reach an agreement, the 34-year-old will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Veteran reserve Chicago forward Torrey Craig is missing tonight’s road contest against the Sixers with a sore right heel, per Johnson (Twitter link). Donovan has indicated that Bulls medical staffers will examine the heel when the team returns home.
Recently extended Bulls center Nikola Vucevic has also improved of late with LaVine out, but Cowley writes in another piece that the team could begin to look quite different after January 15, when several players inked to offseason deals will become trade-eligible. That is a fact of which Vucevic is keenly aware. At 10-17, the club is currently out of the play-in picture. “We’ve got to start doing this,” Vucevic said. “The last few weeks, yes, it feels like we’re back on track for something positive, but it has to continue. We know we have possibly a limited time, but we’re aware of it. Maybe that awareness is what’s been changing things, too.’’

Bulls Notes: Dosunmu, Caruso, Lillard, Craig, Trade Values

November 13th, 2023 at 1:33pm CST by Rory Maher

Third-year guard Ayo Dosunmu gave the Bulls a much-needed lift during Sunday’s victory over Detroit, according to Kyle Williams of The Chicago Sun-Times. After a sluggish first quarter that saw the Bulls down nine points, Dosunmu helped swing the momentum in their favor in the second period, spearheading a 22-4 run with his energy and defense.

“First thing I told him coming out was, ‘That quarter was because of you,’” forward DeMar DeRozan said. “The energy he brought, getting out in transition, the layups and getting those steals. I let him know that without him, that quarter would not have happened.”

Dosunmu finished with 13 points (on 6-of-7 shooting), three assists and three steals and was a game-high plus-19 in 27 minutes on the court, which was a season high. As Williams writes, Dosunmu also helped limit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham — Detroit’s leading scorer — to just 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

“I closed with [Dosunmu] today,” head coach Billy Donovan said. “You could have closed with Torrey [Craig]; you could have closed with Patrick [Williams]. I just elected to go with him because I thought he was playing really well on both ends of the floor. He was playing well defensively, in particular guarding Cunningham.”

Here’s more on the Bulls:

Alex Caruso, who missed Sunday’s game, is considered day-to-day due to a toe injury he sustained in practice, Williams adds in another story. As K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago tweets, Caruso is doubtful for Monday’s contest vs. Milwaukee, while Bucks star Damian Lillard, who has missed the past two games with calf soreness, is probable.
Pistons head coach Monty Williams spoke glowingly of Craig prior to Sunday’s matchup, Kyle Williams of The Sun-Times notes. Craig, who signed with Chicago as a free agent in the offseason, played under Monty Williams in Phoenix. “He’s just an everyday guy and has a great attitude,” he said of Craig. “You could coach him; you could talk to him about other stuff outside of basketball. He just became one of my favorite players. You can play him at any wing spot, and you can play a number of defenses with him, whether it’s switching, zone or man coverage.”
After 10 games, the Bulls sit at 4-6. That prompted Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic to list 10 observations from the early portion of the 2023/24 season. After the team brought back most of the same group, many of the same issues from last season are still present, according to Mayberry, including a sluggish offense and the poor fit of Chicago’s “big three.” Jevon Carter, who signed with his hometown team as a free agent over the summer, has been a bright spot. But the Bulls need to shake things up and trades should be coming at some point, says Mayberry.
Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype projects the trade values of DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams and Caruso, writing that Caruso might fetch the most in return due to his “elite defense” and “relatively small annual salary.” Caruso is under contract for $19.4MM over the next two seasons.