Not just because of who the Bulls play, but who they might be adding.
After the Wednesday shootaround, coach Billy Donovan told reporters that guard Alex Caruso (wrist surgery) was cleared to practice with the team with no restrictions when the group reconvenes at the Advocate Center on Friday, and second-year forward Patrick Williams (wrist surgery) was cleared for limited contact.
Caruso, who underwent surgery on Jan. 24 after suffering the injury at the hands of a Grayson Allen flagrant-2, was the heart and soul of a Bulls defense that was top five when he played, as opposed to slipping to near the bottom without him.
The good news on Caruso was as long as he gets through individual workouts leading into Friday, as well as the practices, it won’t be a long wait to see him in games. He’s been conditioning throughout the rehab process, he’s been with the team on most road trips so was well aware of any new wrinkles added, and he’s not being counted on to come in and test that wrist by being a scorer.
The Bulls were scheduled to practice on Friday, host the Cavs on Saturday, possibly practice before flying to Sacramento on Sunday, and have practices scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday on the road trip.
Caruso might only need a few hard practices and a shootaround to be ready, so Monday or Wednesday of next week would not be far-fetched landing spots for his return.
As for Williams, who was knocked out of the fifth game of the season with the wrist injury, the west coast will be big for him as he ramps up his practice time and gets a better feel of when his return timetable is more realistic.
