CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- Bulls big man Lauri Markkanen's second NBA season will end much like it began -- on the sidelines, with a concerning health/injury situation to monitor.
The Bulls have decided to shut down Markkanen for the final six games of the season, they announced late Wednesday after a 118-98 loss to the Blazers at the United Center. The decision came after Markkanen experienced a rapid heart rate and "extreme fatigue" while playing in the first half of a loss at Toronto on Tuesday night. Markkanen underwent evaluation at a local hospital afterward and stayed overnight in Toronto before returning to Chicago on Wednesday, when he underwent further testing that came back "normal," the team said.
Nonetheless, the Bulls saw no benefit to forcing the issue as they play out the string of a lost season, calling his shutdown a "precaution."
"The long-term health of our players is always our organization's top priority," executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson said in a statement. "We will continue to monitor Lauri's condition and work with our medical staff and doctors to provide him with everything he may need."
The Bulls' decision to shut down Markkanen came after a discussion that involved chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, president Michael Reinsdorf and Paxson, Boylen said.
"Everything he's had done to him in the last 24 hours has come back positive," Boylen said. "I think the word is 'unremarkable.' Speaking with John and Jerry and Michael, we just want to do what's best for him. We're not going to rush him back.
"We're going to be ... as cautious as we can these last 10 days."
Markkanen missed the first 23 games of the season with a severe right elbow sprain that he suffered in training camp. He started slow in his return before heating up in January and significantly in February before tailing off in March. He finished his second season averaging 18.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.6 blocks, 0.7 steals and 1.6 turnovers in 32.3 minutes across 52 games. He shot 43 percent from the field and 36.1 percent on 3-pointers.
Markkanen's absence will bolster whatever fading hope the Bulls have of landing a bottom-three record in the league and the 14 percent odds at the No. 1 draft pick that come with it. At 21-55, the Bulls have the fourth-worst record and are two wins clear of the Cavaliers, who are 19-56. The fourth-worst team receives 12.5 percent odds.
While that was in the back of their mind, their focus late Wednesday was on the well-being of Markkanen.
"It's always serious when a guy doesn't feel well," Boylen said. "I think it's always serious. We take those things to heart. He's a big part of what we're building, a big piece to this team, an important piece to the future. He's a young developing guy. As much as we think every moment on the floor helps us, we also have to protect him and his future. I think we're handling it exactly how he should be handling it."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
