CHICAGO (670 The Score) – The concern is growing that Bulls guard Lonzo Ball may not return this season.
Ball won't run for the next 10 days as the Bulls "pull back" in his rehab from left knee surgery in late January, coach Billy Donovan said Monday evening. The news came as no surprise after Donovan had admitted Friday that Ball's progress had stalled. Ball had been active and running but doing nothing at full speed, as discomfort would set in after he ramped up.
In addition to having had his meniscus repaired in the surgery, Ball has a bone bruise that he's still recovering from.
"He's actively doing things to strengthen, to do those things, but in terms of the running and what we were trying to do where we kind of kept hitting that plateau and he was hitting that plateau, they're just going to pull him back now," Donovan said. "So there's not going to be anything probably for 10 days, just to see how he responds to that, if that at all helps take away some of the discomfort he's feeling when he does do that. As I said the other day, it's necessarily that he's had any setbacks. It's just that we have not been able to take that next step.
"I don't want to use the word rest. It's not like he's sitting around doing nothing. He's going to do strength training and those kinds of things, but take a break on the running and trying to ramp him up."
When Ball initially underwent surgery, the Bulls announced a timetable of six to eights weeks for his return. Friday will bring the eight-week mark, so he won't return within that timetable. And with each passing day, it's growing more likely that he might not return at all this season – though Donovan isn't thinking in those terms yet.
"I haven't really asked that question to the medical of where they're at," Donovan said. "I think they felt like, 'OK, if he can over this 10-day period really get back to the ramp-up period, because he has been out for quite some time, that would enable him to get back into contact relatively soon.' But he can't even get him into that right now until he gets over that hump. I don't want to speculate what may or may not happen after 10 days."
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.
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
