CHICAGO (670 The Score) – Bulls forward Patrick Williams isn’t too concerned about ongoing inflammation in his surgically repaired left foot, but he also admitted Friday that he has no idea when he’ll be healthy enough to return to action.
Williams missed Chicago’s loss at Milwaukee on Wednesday and has also been ruled out against Atlanta on Friday evening and against Memphis on Saturday. He’ll travel with the team for its two-game road trip next Tuesday and Wednesday, but it remains unclear when he’ll return to action, Williams said in speaking Friday evening before the Bulls’ game against the Hawks.
“Nobody seems to be worried,” Williams said of his discussions with doctors and the medical staff. “It’s more of a, this is a kind of thing that happens post-surgery. The first year after surgery is always kind of the toughest. It’s always trying to figure out new parameters, trying to work through different things. It did kind of swell up there a little bit. We’re trying to kind of get that down.
“We’re just trying to work through it. Everybody’s foot kind of reacts differently, everybody reacts differently to surgery.”
Williams was limited to 43 games last season because of a left foot injury that necessitated surgery in late February. He has two screws in his foot because of that operation, which addressed a stress reaction in his left foot after he was initially diagnosed with acute bone edema.
Williams believes his current discomfort flared up due to “an accumulation of minutes overall,” he said, rather than any specific play. In a positive development, his discomfort now is nothing like the pain he felt before he had surgery last season, he said. Williams is undergoing regular treatment, which includes a great deal of rest, icing and the use of "thousand-dollar equipment that I can't even explain," he said.
The Bulls’ plan is for Williams to begin a return-to-play protocol when the inflammation has subsided, coach Billy Donovan said. When asked whether his injury absence should be termed as a matter of days, weeks or months, Williams responded, “I couldn’t tell ya.”
Williams, 23, is averaging 9.9 points and 5.0 rebounds in 28.9 minutes across 15 games. He’s shooting 37.6% overall, a significant dip from last season and from his career averages. Williams is in the first season of a five-year, $90-million contract.
“It’s frustrating, to say the least,” Williams said. “I’ve been through worse. It’s a great opportunity for guys in the locker room to step up.”
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.