Bulls guard Alex Caruso knows that at some point this season, talk of minutes played, protecting him from himself and concerns about how he flings his body around the court will have to go away.
That time, however, isn’t here yet.
Coach Billy Donovan admitted Monday that he and his staff had kicked around the idea of inserting Caruso into the starting lineup last week but couldn’t get over a few obstacles. Specifically, how to space out Caruso’s minutes.
While Caruso isn’t on a minutes restriction, the staff has a comfort zone in the 26- to 28-minute range.
Caruso, who is dealing with a sore elbow, always has done whatever is asked. But he also knows that if the Bulls don’t improve their place in the standings, it will be time for them to take his leash off.
‘‘You’ve got to win games,’’ Caruso said before scoring 10 points in 20 minutes in the Bulls’ 130-113 victory Monday against the Jazz. ‘‘I talked to my trainer, Arnie [Lee], this morning in just dealing with my elbow and being a little cautious about it because I guard the best players every night. I do it in a way that’s physically demanding. But it’s one of those things where at a certain point in the season and a certain situation, you realize, ‘All right, we gotta go now!’
‘‘I don’t know if we’re at that point yet. We can easily win the next three, four, five games, and things change. You just evaluate the situation.’’
Especially with the value Caruso brings.
Last season, he led the Bulls in plus/minus at plus-199. The closest player to him was Coby White at plus-146. Entering the game Monday, Ayo Dosunmu was the only player in plus territory (plus-13) this season; Caruso was at minus-22 before going plus-16 against the Jazz.
Caruso, fresh off first-team All-Defensive honors last season, has been in Donovan’s closing lineup on most nights, and that’s where the minutes math doesn’t add up. If Donovan was to start him, Caruso’s middle stints would be difficult to manage.
‘‘It’s one of those things where if you do start him and hypothetically give him three stints, then his minutes in the first half are up around 15 or 16, then you’re trying to close with him in a game,’’ Donovan said.
‘‘I’m not saying he can never do that, but I think the history shows us that if that’s done over a long period of time, it becomes challenging. The most important thing with Alex is availability. He helps our team when he’s out there.’’
So until Caruso hears otherwise, he’ll roll with the minutes he’s asked to play.
‘‘I think my preference is doing whatever helps the team win,’’ Caruso said. ‘‘If we’re winning games, then I think we’re doing the right things.’’
Healthy return
After missing the last two games with an upper respiratory illness, Dosunmu returned to the Bulls’ rotation against the Jazz, scoring eight points in 16 minutes.
Donovan said Dosunmu went through the morning shootaround with the rest of the team with no limitations and was given the green light.
Mr. 10,000
When he grabbed his fourth rebound against the Jazz, big man Andre Drummond became the 43rd player in NBA history to reach 10,000 rebounds.
Drummond joined Dennis Rodman and Pau Gasol as the only players to achieve that milestone while playing for the Bulls.
