The Bulls were down by more than 30 points with less than five minutes to go in the third quarter, and it was because of a knee injury that LaVine had left the game.
The Bulls called a timeout with 5:02 left in the game after Stephen Curry hit another 3-pointer. With the team facing a large deficit, the rookies came out of the huddle and replaced Lonzo Ball with one of their own.
Ball's health wasn't even a topic during the postgame news conference, with the Bulls' third double-digit loss in four games dominating the conversation.
He was not going to play another minute for the rest of the season.
Ball was out of the game the next day because of knee pain. The team said he would have knee surgery the next week and would have a recovery period of 6 to 8 weeks.
Ball was the catalyst for Chicago's red-hot start through the first half of last season with his defense serving as a constant disrupter and his vision in the passing lanes producing easy transition baskets. When Ball injured his knee, the Bulls were off to a 27-13 start and ended up with a 19-23 record.
Ball played in 35 games last season, his lowest point in five years in the NBA. Ball's impact on the court has been obvious even in a few games. His ability to stay healthy has not been fully understood.
Alex Caruso said that he was having another career year last year. The usage was up and the percentage of assists was up. We went against the best guards in the league on defense.
The team that couldn't stay healthy was us. We didn't have a full team after November. Ball is a worker and will return ready.
It's not clear when Ball will return to the Bulls. Ball still experiences pain when he tries to play basketball despite the fact that the bone bruise and meniscus tear are sound. According to sources, Ball is almost certain to miss the start of the regular season because he is not expected to participate in training camp.
Ball's return turned into a summer filled with questions.
The team's initial treatment plan for Ball's left knee isn't working, according to the coach.
Ball was diagnosed with a bone bruise and small meniscus tear in his left knee that will require surgery after an initial period of rest and targeted intervention.
Ball goes under the knife in Los Angeles.
During a video produced by the team, Ball is shown lifting weights and running on the court at the team practice facility, and he says he's feeling good. It's a process that takes time. I would like to get back on the court soon.
March 21, 2022, the Bulls announce they will pull back on Ball's rehabilitation process due to Ball experiencing pain while running.
March 31, 2022.
The Bulls have ruled Ball out for the rest of the season and playoffs. The team said in a news release that he is still experiencing pain from high level physical activity.
With three games left in the regular season, the Bulls officially announced that Ball wouldn't return for the next two seasons.
The announcement felt like a foregone conclusion. Demar DeRozan was asked about the impact Ball made this season and reminisced on the "swagger and excitement" Ball's presence had brought to the team before concluding that Ball's health is more important.
The Bulls wanted to take a 10-day break at the end of March in order to give Ball time to recover from running. After Ball admitted earlier in the week that he was having the same issues when they tried to get him back up, the end of his season seemed close. Ball admitted he was trying to get back on the court.
The Bulls were in first place for most of the first half of the season before their roster started getting decimated by injuries, and there was internal belief in giving their roster another chance, as well as the return of Patrick Williams, who missed most of last season because of a wrist injury.
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It will be a lot better for the younger guys because they already know what we want to do. It's understanding how everyone likes to get to their spots for the older guys. What you're going to get from everybody is how to play with guys and what looks they're looking for coming off pick-and-rolls or transition.
Not having to learn on the go is going to be a benefit.
The Bulls ranked sixth in points per game off turnovers and 10th in transition assists before Ball's injury. He shot a career-high 42.3% from 3 on 7.4 attempts per game helping keep Chicago's 3-point shooting afloat despite taking the lowest number of 3s in the NBA.
In Ball's absence, those tendencies all but disappeared from the offense. They plummeted to the bottom in points per game off turnovers (26th) and failed to replicate his 3-point shooting, still attempting the fewest 3s in the league.
The Bulls couldn't beat Milwaukee from behind the line, shooting a league-worst 28% from 3 in the playoffs.
Ball said during his end of the season exit interview that he felt like he could leave an impact on the game whenever he watched it. I think my shooting could have helped. They have guys on the other side that are All-stars.
It's not possible to change what happened. I was not able to be out there. I didn't tell the guys that I wished I was out there with them. I could have done this if I was there. It was more about them than anything else. There were people there. They were prepared. I was just giving encouragement to them.
The Bulls were locked into sixth place in the East when they lost to the Hornets.
The Bulls won their last game of the season.
The Bulls were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Milwaukee Brewers.
Ball said his knee recovery was at a standstill during his exit interview.
Something needs to be fixed this summer. There is a lot of leg workouts. I'm going to do what I have to to get healthy.
Lavar Ball told NBC Sports Chicago that he was not happy with how quickly his son ran after the surgery. I knew he wouldn't be able to play when it was too fast and hard. He's being trained the wrong way.
The Bulls performance staff is working with Ball and Ball's trainers on his rehabilitation, according to the Bulls general manager. Eversley said he hoped Ball would be ready for training camp.
The Bulls' summer league squad took the floor at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas for their first game against the Dallas Mavericks on July 8 and a large contingent of current Bulls formed a cheering section down the sidelines.
Bulls vice president Arturas Karnisovas and general managerMarc Eversley sat in seats along the baseline aside coach Billy Donovan and a few assistant coaches, while 40% of their current roster sat to their right along the sideline.
Ball wore a black shirt with black shorts and a black hat. He smiled and politely declined an interview with reporters as to not detract from the summer league team's 100-99 overtime win that day, but said he was doing well as he left.
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Ball was getting better, probably not at the speed we would like, said Karnisovas during a broadcast of a summer league game.
The majority of the roster has been flipped since Karnisovas became lead executive in April 2020. While the team remained quiet at both the trade deadline and during the off-season, "continuity" has been the focus. The Bulls re-signed LaVine to a max contract.
"We're constantly competing against teams that have been together for three, four, five years," Karnisovas said at his exit interview on April 28. When you keep the same group longer, you will get results.
The Bulls made an attempt to address their lack of shooting in the off-season and were in the running to sign forward Danilo Gallinari before he tore hisACL and signed with the Celtics. Adding a 14-year NBA veteran like Dragic could provide a boost from behind the line, but the move was intended to provide guard depth and veteran presence behind the team's two young guards.
The importance of getting Ball back this season is underscored by the lack of major additions this winter.
At the end of the season, Karnisovas said that they missed him a lot. He was missing his size and we missed him pushing the break. The second half of the season was slower than the first. We're missing him, but we have to pay attention to what's happening there and figure it out.
The Bulls were focused on keeping their roster intact, but the Eastern Conference seems to have gotten more competitive. The Chicago Bulls finished in sixth place in the East last season, but the three teams that finished directly behind them are the Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers, who made major trades this off-season.
The Bulls have a deep rotation of guards that can absorb a potential absence from Ball. After returning to the playoffs for the first time in five years, the Bulls find themselves in a familiar position, hinging on the health of their point guard.
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