Not so long ago, the Chicago Bulls were the best team in the Eastern Conference, beating contenders left and right and playing some of the best defenses in the league. Then, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso fell with injuries, and it all went south.
Caruso eventually came back, but Lonzo’s absence took a massive blow in their offensive flow. Even with Ayo Dosunmu taking over and Goran Dragic’s arrival, they still lack a pass-first kind of guard, a floor general to set the offense up.
Needless to say, Bulls fans are desperately craving to watch the former second-overall pick back on the floor. And, according to team insider Sam Smith, his return could happen sooner than later.
NBA Rumors: Lonzo Ball Could Be Back On Christmas
“Christmas miracle? I’d hold off on that,” Smith wrote on his new Mailbag section. “I’ll say to start I have no idea, and based on previous experience I’d have to say no one who says they have an idea has an idea. Because last January’s surgery came with a two-month return to playing. So they don’t know. The general word around the Bulls is he might be able to play in January, maybe by the All-Star break. That would be wonderful, though personally without any information or “insider” scoops from sources who may or may not know, I’m not counting on him this season.”
The Bulls have struggled with inconsistency all season. They’ve looked great against contenders, yet they can’t seem to keep that same intensity when they’re matched up against lesser teams.
Also, some of the young players they gave up in win-now trades have blossomed somewhere else while their own youngsters are struggling. So, Ball or no Ball, some believe they’d be better off by just blowing the roster up and rebuilding.