(670 The Score) Bulls guard Coby White and forward Javonte Green are out of the NBA’s health and safety protocols, but team activities continue to be at a standstill while Chicago’s season has been paused by a COVID-19 outbreak.
The Bulls are scheduled to host the Lakers on Sunday evening at the United Center after their games against the Pistons on Tuesday and the Raptors on Thursday were postponed. White and Green have been allowed inside the Advocate Center to ramp up their activity individually and players with injuries have also been cleared to get treatment, but the rest of the roster has been away from the Bulls’ facility, coach Billy Donovan said Thursday.
Donovan’s hope is the NBA will give the Bulls the green light for team activities Friday and Saturday. The Bulls currently have eight players in the health and safety protocols.
“We’re going to need some sort of ramp-up period as it relates to practice,” Donovan said Thursday.
“In terms of like the activities of being able to come in here and get together as a team, work out as a team, do those kinds of things, we haven’t been able to do anything. Certainly, we’re dealing with a conditioning factor, we’re dealing with a rhythm and timing situation. We’re dealing with our team, really the last probably 12 days, two weeks, it’s been pretty much every day we’ve had somebody that’s been in health and safety protocols and our team has totally changed. I’m hopeful the league will give us some time here on Friday and Saturday to get the group back together that would be available to play on Sunday. But we really haven’t been able to do much at all.”
Donovan called Bulls star DeMar DeRozan, guard Matt Thomas and forward Derrick Jones Jr. all “day-to-day” as it relates to a potential return. NBA rules require players to be out 10 days in protocols unless they produce two negative tests 24 hours apart. DeRozan, Thomas and Jones all will have windows open to return by Sunday, but they were still in protocols as of Thursday. Beyond getting out of the health protocols, their conditioning will also loom as a factor in deciding whether they’re ready to play Sunday.
Star Zach LaVine, guard Ayo Dosunmu, wing Troy Brown Jr. and big man Alize Johnson aren’t expected to return to action until after Christmas, Donovan said. Assuming that’s the case, they’ll all miss the next three games. The Bulls host the Pacers on Dec. 26 and visit the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 27. They then have an off day before hosting the Hawks on Dec. 29.
“That could obviously change based on the testing protocols, because it’s obviously got to be two negative tests, but that’s kind of what we’re anticipating at this point in time,” Donovan said.
In a dose of good news for the Bulls, guard Alex Caruso is “doing fine” as he deals with an ailing hamstring. He missed two games before returning for the Bulls’ loss to the Heat on Saturday. The Bulls’ time off will help him feel even better, Donovan said.
“There was no kind of residual effects or any kind of issue with him after the game where he was experiencing any kind of symptoms in his hamstring or any problems,” Donovan said. “He actually felt pretty good.”
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.