The short-handed Chicago Bulls could lose yet another key player ahead of the All-Star break after Zach LaVine will reportedly fly to Los Angeles to receive special treatment on his left knee, according to ESPN.
LaVine sat out Saturday’s 106-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder due to an aggravation in his left knee. The guard previously played two games through back spasms before finally sitting out the next two games.
Before Saturday’s game, coach Billy Donovan said LaVine had recovered from the back spasms. Now, all focus is on his left knee, where he previously tore an ACL in 2017. LaVine already has missed several games earlier this season due to discomfort and swelling in the knee, which is closely monitored at all times by Bulls staff.
At the time, Donovan said the Bulls hadn’t determined whether LaVine would be available for the final two games ahead of the All-Star break. The Bulls host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday and the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.
LaVine is slated to attend All-Star Weekend in Cleveland next week as a bench player alongside starter DeMar DeRozan. He is also scheduled to compete in the 3-point competition on Saturday.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, LaVine still hopes to compete in Cleveland despite the pain in his knee. Donovan said the Bulls have not yet had a conversation with LaVine about his All-Star participation.
“That would be something that would be up to Zach and the medical guys just to see where he is at physically,” Donovan said. “I have not talked to Zach about that at all. We’ve obviously had an enormous amount of games in a short period of time.”
If LaVine is unavailable for games this week, he would join teammates Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball as out as the Bulls continue to struggle with guard depth. Rookie Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White have stepped up to shoulder most of the team’s guard responsibilities during injury absences.
The goal for the Bulls in the short term is to get healthy. Executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas said the only item on his trade deadline wishlist was a healthy roster. Donovan talks about “getting whole” after every game, win or lose. Even players performing at their peak like DeRozan long for the team to return to its previous norm.
“It’s like a dream,” DeRozan said. “I dream about it every night. Being on a sunny, beautiful island — that’s how I picture it when we get back healthy.”
