This season, Zach LaVine has struggled with foot and ankle injuries while trade rumors about him leaving Chicago continue to circulate.
LaVine's right foot inflammation caused him to be sidelined for 38 days after the Bulls stopped him from playing on Dec. 6. The team predicted a recovery time of three to four weeks. The Bulls performed well without LaVine, winning 10 out of 17 games during his absence. Since his return on Jan. 5, they have won 5 out of 7 games..
We're keeping an eye on all the news about LaVine.
LaVine is expected to sit out for at least one week due to a right ankle injury.
After returning for just six games, LaVine sprained his ankle during a game against the Toronto Raptors. He will be out for at least a week according to Bulls PR.
As a result, he will miss the upcoming home game against the Memphis Grizzlies and might also miss the games against the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles, and Portland Trail Blazers next week.
LaVine got injured when he rolled his ankle after landing on Jontay Porter's foot in the third quarter.
Following the injury, LaVine immediately left the game to get treatment. He seemed frustrated as he struggled to walk and even threw a towel at an empty chair on the bench.
There was a moment when it seemed like the Bulls had dodged a crisis as LaVine returned less than 10 minutes later to play in the game.
But his relief was short-lived. LaVine missed two shots and made an assist in four minutes before being pulled out again. He did not start the fourth quarter and only played for 2:20 before being replaced by Ayo Dosunmu.
After the game, coach Billy Donovan mentioned that LaVine was not moving well and couldn't regain his full speed after the injury. LaVine did not score any points in less than seven minutes of play after coming back to the game.
The Bulls are worried about LaVine's injury for two main reasons.
Firstly, the team is already struggling to handle multiple injuries. Torrey Craig is still recovering from a sprained plantar fascia, while Dosunmu and Patrick Williams are dealing with shoulder and ankle issues, respectively. Losing LaVine will be another setback, especially if he is out for more than the next four games.
But the bigger problem for the Bulls is how to generate interest in a trade deal for a player who is having one of his lowest-scoring seasons while also facing challenges to stay on the court.
Despite his return, LaVine has been unselfish, averaging 16.8 points and 5.7 assists in the last seven games.
With the trade deadline approaching in three weeks, the question is whether LaVine can remain injury-free long enough to convince another team that he is worth a major trade.
On January 5th, LaVine is dealing with high expectations as he returns to play
After 38 days, LaVine will participate in his first game
, which is on Friday, against the Charlotte Hornets as he comes back from a right foot injury . While he was out, the Bulls had a record of 10-7, which somewhat balanced their poor 5-14 start of the season.However, LaVine did not want to discuss records or questions about his status after the morning shootaround at the Advocate Center.
He stated, "My main goal is to just get back to playing. If I let opinions affect me, I wouldn't be where I am today. I could care less about people's opinions. I know who I am and what I do. I know that my focus should be on helping the team and securing wins."
For LaVine, Friday's game will be the first chance to adjust to an improved style of play that led to the team's positive record during the 17 games he was absent.
On January 3rd, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski stated that there is no interest in trading LaVine ahead of his expected return on Friday
LaVine will face significant uncertainty if he returns for the Bulls against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
Coach Billy Donovan mentioned that LaVine responded well to an intense practice on Wednesday and is likely to return on Friday. However, upon his return, LaVine will immediately face uncertainty about a possible trade away from the Bulls.
LaVine has been the subject of trade rumors since November
when he did not deny a report stating that he is open to being traded. This marked the first time in LaVine's seven years with the Bulls that he showed interest in leaving the team, even indirectly through Klutch Sports agent Rich Paul. However, it might not be as difficult to trade LaVine away from Chicago as it seems. Prior to Wednesday's game, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski mentioned during “NBA Countdown” that there are currently no potential trade partners for the Bulls.
Wojnarowski stated, "There is no interest in Zach LaVine right now. They might just have to be content with finding a team that will take on his contract."
The market for LaVine continues to be a point of disagreement across the NBA. USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt reported on Wednesday that the Los Angeles Lakers are still interested in LaVine, but Wojnarowski and others in the league stated that there is no interest in trading for the guard, ruling out potential trades to teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat to whom LaVine was previously connected.
It is evident that LaVine has a lot at stake, whether he wants to stay or leave.
Before his injury, LaVine had the worst start to a season in his career. He averaged 21 points and 3.4 assists per game, shooting a career-low 33.6% from 3-point range, and struggled to ignite the offense. The Bulls immediately improved on both ends of the court after LaVine's departure, leading to further concerns about the impact he could have on other teams in the league.
The Bulls are having a hard time trading LaVine because of the $215 million contract they gave him in 2022. LaVine would be more attractive to other teams if he had a more flexible contract. But few teams in the league can afford a player with a maximum contract, especially one like LaVine who is still uncertain.
Donovan isn't sure if LaVine will have limits on his playing time when he returns on Friday. But no matter how much he plays, he needs to show two things right away – that he can still lead the Bulls offense and that he's a valuable player for other teams to consider before the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
LaVine might come back as soon as Friday's game against the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 2.
The Bulls expect LaVine to return within the next week after he responded well to his first two days of practices with the G League team Windy City Bulls. Coach Billy Donovan said this on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Donovan said, 'The only report that I got is that it went very, very well. He responded well coming back in this morning and we’ll see how he responds tomorrow.'
LaVine participated in a full practice with Windy City on Monday, then had a lighter day of practice and training on Tuesday. He is expected to have another intense workout on Wednesday, followed by a lighter day on Thursday.
Donovan didn't give a definite return date, but said LaVine could be ready to play on Friday against the Hornets at the United Center if he gets clearance from the medical team.
Donovan said, 'I don’t want to rule it out. The part we’re most concerned about is when he starts having to do all that cutting, how he responded. And he responded well. So now we’ve gotten through that and now he’s ramping up.
Donovan said, 'I just don’t know, for the medical staff, how many days they want to see him because he’s been out 15, 16, 17 games. What do they feel is an adequate enough time for him to get his legs back under him? That would be it.'
The Bulls have a good schedule for LaVine to return over the next week. After road games on Tuesday and Wednesday in Philadelphia and New York, they play three of their next four games at home before going on a weeklong trip to San Antonio, Cleveland, and Toronto.
If LaVine doesn’t play on Friday, he could return on the road against the Hornets on Monday or at home against the Houston Rockets on Jan. 10 or the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 12.
Donovan said, 'I don’t know what the exact date is going to be, but the way he’s progressing right now and the fact that he’s in full-fledged contact is very, very positive.'
LaVine started doing contact practices with the Windy City Bulls on Jan. 1.
Zach LaVine is close to coming back for the Bulls after missing 15 games with a right foot injury.
The two-time All-Star guard on Monday was assigned to the Windy City Bulls — the team’s G League affiliate — to begin contact practices this week.
LaVine started increasing his physical activity on Dec. 26, checking how comfortable he is with moving sideways and doing cutting exercises. After getting through the past week without any problems, he will start practicing with contact with Windy City, the final step before getting cleared to play again.
Despite traveling with the Bulls for almost every away game since he got injured, LaVine will stay home for a two-game trip to Philadelphia and New York this week to take part in those practices.
The Bulls seem to have established a way to win with the current lineup, but
they have not yet seen how LaVine can fit into that style of play . And after initially attracting attention at the start of the season due to reports of his interest in a trade, LaVine’s absence has only increased the importance of his position with the team as the Feb. 8 trade deadline approaches.Zach LaVine has struggled with foot and ankle injuries for most of this season while trade rumors swirl around his potential departure from Chicago. The guard sprained his ankle in Thursday' s victory against the Toronto Raptors and will be out of action for at least a week, according to Bulls PR. This means he will miss Saturday' s home game against the Memphis Grizzlies and could…
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