(670 The Score) Bulls big man Lauri Markkanen, forward Chandler Hutchison, guard Tomas Satoransky and guard Ryan Arcidiacono will miss Chicago’s game at Washington on Thursday as they’ve landed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, coach Billy Donovan said.
The health and safety protocols mean someone has tested positive for COVID-19 or been deemed a close contact of someone who has. There was no verification or clarity on whether any of the four Bulls players had contracted COVID-19, though the NBA announced Wednesday that no players had tested positive in the latest cycle.
The news of those four players’ absences – including a starter in Markkanen and two more rotation players in Hutchison and Satoransky – left the Bulls scrambling ahead of tip-off. Logging off his pregame Zoom with reporters less than 90 minutes before tip-off, Donovan wasn’t yet certain who would replace Markkanen in the starting lineup or what his rotation would look like.
“This is something I’ve been talking about for a while,” Donovan said. “You’ve got stay flexible. Different things can happen, and you got to be able to handle them.”
Donovan was also unsure of whether Markkanen, Hutchison, Satoransky and Arcidiacono would be allowed to fly with the Bulls (1-3) for their road trip to Milwaukee, where they face the Bucks on Friday night. Donovan did acknowledge this could be an issue for the Bulls for several days moving forward.
“My guess is yes, this is going to go on for a period of time,” Donovan said. “How long? I’m really unsure of that.”
After being deemed a close contact of a COVID-positive individual earlier in the season, Satoransky was sidelined for nine days even though he didn't test positive himself at any time.
Markkanen is also dealing with a calf injury. If he hadn’t been ruled out in the health protocol process, he would’ve tested his calf in pregame warmups and been a game-time decision, Donovan said.
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.