The Chicago Bulls swung for the fences when they signed Lonzo Ball, and he seemed like a perfect fit early in his tenure in the Windy City. Nonetheless, it didn’t take long before injury woes haunted the former Los Angeles Lakers player.
Ball made a handful of appearances for Billy Donovan’s team and helped the Bulls get the best record in the Eastern Conference. That success was shortl-ived, and it was evident they desperately needed him back on the floor.
That has also been the story this season. Ball’s playmaking, defense, and three-point shooting could most definitely be of great help for the slumping Bulls. Unfortunately, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that he might not play at all this season.
NBA News: Lonzo Ball Might Not Play At All This Season
“Lonzo Ball hasn’t played point guard for the Bulls since January of last season. It’s been almost 11 months, and there are no guarantees that he plays at all this season,” Woj said. “He’s rehabbing that knee now;he’s still feeling some pain it.”
“The hope is that, perhaps by the All-Star break in mid-February, they have a sense of whether Lonzo Ball is ready to come back and play for Chicago,” Woj added. “A lot of that may depend on where are the Bulls in the standings. Right now, they’re 11th, they’re out of the playoff picture, and if they’re lingering around that area, a lot of decisions will be made about whether he plays at all. But really, you can mark the downward spiral of this team at the beginning of that injury last January.“
This is terrible news for a Bulls team that might be forced to just blow it up and start from scratch again. Without Lonzo, their roster seems poorly constructed, and even if they manage to straighten the ship, they’rea ways away from being a legit championship contender.