Bulls Lose 9th Player, At Risk of Postponement

 

The Covid outbreak on the Chicago Bulls continues to ravage the team, with health and safety protocols claiming their 8th and 9th victims, now with Zach LaVine and Troy Brown expected to miss ten days. The team is now left with only 9 healthy players for Tuesday's scheduled game, one away from the minimum required to play. 

The Bulls have nine healthy players for Tuesday's game vs. Detroit. One of the replacement players, Stanley Johnson, is in protocols. The Bulls need replacements for their replacements. As @BobbyMarks42 says, Bulls can continue to sign players under hardship waiver. https://t.co/LmAw01tICg

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 12, 2021

As noted by Adrian Wojnarowski, even some of the players they signed to replace the missing, are now out as well. The Bulls will be allowed to continue to sign players over and above their roster limit, under the so-called "hardship waiver."

Stanley Johnson and Ayo Dosunmu were each signed as hardship exceptions, but both have now been ruled out due to the outbreak. "We need a hardship for a hardship," said an exasperated head coach Billy Donovan. 

On a more serious note, Donovan added that he'd accept any of his current "healthy" players re-thinking their own status. "I would totally understand if somebody on our team's like, 'Listen, I don't feel comfortable with this. We're together, we're practicing and I don't feel comfortable playing,'" he said. 

"COVID has impacted people in a lot of different ways, and I think people have, at least inside of our team, have had loved ones that have really suffered from it. It is a scary time."

Other Bulls who are out of the lineup under health and safety protocols include DeMar DeRozan, Derrick Jones Jr., Coby White, Matt Thomas and Javonte Green. 

On the bright side, Alex Caruso, who's been out with a strained hamstring, has actually returned to active duty. 

Photo Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports