(670 The Score) Bulls guard Lonzo Ball’s progress in his rehab from left knee surgery in late January has stalled recently, coach Billy Donovan said Friday evening. Ball continues to be active in his rehab but hasn’t been cleared for full-speed work.
“He has not responded,” Donovan said. “There’s no setbacks. It’s still the same thing.
“He has not been able to do anything full speed. Any time we get him close to that, there’s discomfort. So I think they’re going to probably have to at least look at do you back off and let him rest for a little bit and see if that helps? I think they’ll get together and deal with that, but he has not necessarily maybe progressed where he’s been able to get to that place where he’s able to really, really fully sprint, cut and move.
“He hasn’t gone backward. He just has not been able to go forward far enough to do the things that he’s going to need to be able to do to play.”
After Ball’s surgery to repair a meniscus tear, the Bulls initially announced a timetable of six to eight weeks for his return. The latter part of that timetable would have him back in late March, but that no longer appears to be the picture.
Donovan pushed back a bit at a question about whether Ball could be out for the remainder of the Bulls’ season, but he acknowledged there’s a lot of uncertainty.
“I don’t know, in talking to our medical people, how long does that take to go from where he is today to there (being ready for game action),” Donovan said.
Ball is averaging 13.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 35 games while shooting 42.3% from 3-point range.
In better injury news for the Bulls, second-year forward Patrick Williams went through a full-contact practice with the Windy City Bulls and came out feeling good, Donovan said. Williams had been out since tearing ligaments in his left wrist in late October.
Williams could return when the Bulls host the Raptors on Monday or when they visit the Bucks on Tuesday, Donovan said. The Bulls are still deciding whether Williams should practice with the parent club Sunday or play in a Windy City Bulls game that day.
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.