Bulls news: Chicago's harsh reality on Lonzo Ball's injury situation

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball continues to deal with a troubling knee issue, and there's a chance he's not back this season.

The Chicago Bulls made signing point guard Lonzo Ball a priority this past offseason. One could say they made him too much of a priority, ultimately getting docked a second-round pick after a tampering investigation into the sign-and-trade deal consummated with the New Orleans Pelicans.

It all seemed totally worth it, though, when Ball was helping the Bulls to one of the best records in the NBA to start the 2021-22 season. Unfortunately, the Bulls guard has been out since Jan. 14 due to meniscus surgery and a troublesome bone bruise that just won't go away. With the recent news that Ball was being shut down from running for 10 days in an attempt to heal up that knee, it's easy to fear the worst.

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While there was once optimism that Ball would be back in the regular season and could ramp up for the playoffs, it sure seems like there's a decent chance he just won't come back at all in 2021-22 because of these continued knee issues. On the latest episode of Blue Wire's Cash Considerations pod, 670 The Score's Cody Westerlund provided some insight on Ball's unfortunate situation and whether he thinks he might be done for the season:

“Yeah, I mean if you need a one-word answer, my answer is yes, I think that's most likely if I had to guess. Certainly that's a guess; Billy Donovan hasn't gone there yet. The Bulls haven't framed or thought of it that way, internally, at least those who are holding out hope. Maybe the doctors are thinking that and don't have the heart to tell Billy yet or the coaching staff, the team, to rule him out yet.”

If there's any “hope,” Westerlund did note how Billy Donovan said that once Ball is actually able to ramp up his running to “full speed” and start taking contact, it shouldn't be too long before he's back on the floor. So, not all is lost, but there are still legitimate concerns about his status for the remainder of the season.

The Bulls are really missing Ball's two-way prowess. They've slumped in a big way of late and are now just trying to keep a spot in the top six in order to avoid the play-in tournament. Getting Ball back would help their chances, but the harsh reality of the situation is they just don't know when that will be.