This isn’t the type of aggressiveness Robin Lopez was preaching to his team a few days back.
In the latest turn of events in the tale of the Chicago Bulls, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports is reporting that Chicago big men Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis had a scuffle in practice earlier today that ended up with the former ending up in a hospital for treatment. In a separate report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Mirotic is said to have suffered a facial fracture, suggesting that the altercation involved a trade of punches between the two players.
If there’s any silver lining to be gleaned from this ruckus, it’s that the Bulls must be thankful the fracas only left one player injured seriously enough to be taken to a medical institution. At least that’s what the current reports are telling us.
Nevertheless, this is a disappointing story for the team that is not expected to have success this campaign following the offseason losses of key personnel in the likes of Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler, and Rajon Rondo. And based on a tweet by ESPN’s Bobby Marks, it’s possible that the Bulls may lose more bodies from their roster.
Both Mirotic and Portis occupy the same position on the Bulls’ depth chart and if they both get suspended or, worse, kicked out of the team, Chicago will likely open up a grand opportunity for rookie Lauri Markkanen to prove his worth right away.
The Bulls are set to open up the 2017-18 season this Thursday on road against the Toronto Raptors.