(670 The Score) Bulls guard Zach LaVine and wing Troy Brown Jr. have entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols, according to reports, bringing the team’s total to nine players sidelined for that reason.
The latest developments in the Bulls’ COVID-19 outbreak will likely stoke a conversation about whether they should even play against the Pistons on Tuesday at the United Center. In addition to the Bulls having nine players in protocols, forward Patrick Williams is sidelined with a wrist injury. That leaves them with nine healthy players as of Sunday morning, assuming the COVID-19 situation doesn’t get worse. But of those nine, two are players on two-way contracts and another – forward Alfonzo McKinnie – just joined the team Friday on a hardship exception.
Teams are required to have a minimum of eight players available for regular-season games, according to NBA rules.
Coby White, Javonte Green, DeMar DeRozan, Matt Thomas, Derrick Jones Jr., Ayo Dosunmu and Stanley Johnson are also in the virus protocols. Players have to spend 10 or more days in the protocols unless they test negative twice 24 hours apart. White and Green could return this coming week. White landed in the protocols on Dec. 1, and Green followed two days later.
The Bulls lost 118-92 to the Heat on Saturday to drop to 17-10. They played with 11 players available. When speaking about the seven players in protocols at that point before the game, coach Billy Donovan indicated that most of them had no symptoms or mild symptoms.
The Bulls are fully vaccinated, and “most” players have also received booster shots, center Nikola Vucevic said Saturday night.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN first reported that LaVine had entered in the protocols, while K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago first reported the news on Brown.
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.