The Bulls officially ruled point guard Lonzo Ball out for the remainder of the season on Wednesday morning, including any sort of hope for the playoffs, focusing on getting his left knee right for the 2022-23 season.
The Sun-Times reported on Tuesday that this news was coming for Ball, after he was experiencing pain in the knee during a morning rehab workout.
So it comes as very little surprise that a final resolution was reached with the regular season ending on Sunday.
Ball, who hadn’t played a game since Jan. 14, was given every opportunity to return, but the knee just wouldn’t cooperate. He underwent surgery to repair a meniscus, but was also dealing with a bone bruise. It’s been the bone bruise that’s remained the issue, becoming a major roadblock in the sprinting and cutting steps of the rehab.
The Bulls had to shut his rehab down two weeks ago, giving him one last 10-day pause for the pain to subside, but Ball felt discomfort yet again on Tuesday, putting the organization in a tough spot with a timetable for a return and the NBA calendar.