The Chicago Bulls got some bad news on the Lonzo Ball injury front when it was revealed Thursday that he had torn his meniscus. Ball has opted to undergo surgery on his knee, knocking him out for six to eight weeks.

This is a tough blow for a Bulls team that's dealing with a number of injuries right now, including a knee problem for Zach LaVine. Chicago has been struggling a bit of late, though a recent win over the streaking Cleveland Cavaliers stopped a four-game skid.

Alex Caruso returned for that victory, a huge boost after he missed a month. Caruso's return is just part of this big reason why the Bulls should be able to survive despite Ball's long-term absence: they have a deep backcourt that's playing very well right now. On the latest episode of Blue Wire's Cash Considerations pod, I discussed how this backcourt depth will play a key role in mitigating the Ball injury:

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In addition to Caruso being back, Coby White and rookie Ayo Dosunmu have been starting with Ball and LaVine out, and these two young cards have been terrific. The start of White's season was rough as he tried to find a rhythm after offseason shoulder surgery and then a bout with COVID-19, but he has flipped the switch over the last month. White is averaging over 17 points on 53.4% shooting overall and 46.7% shooting from 3-point range in January.

Dosunmu has been a pleasant surprise after going No. 38 in the 2021 NBA Draft. The rookie has been a spark plug off the bench with his energy, but his statistical contributions have really picked up in his last few starts thanks to these injuries. Over the last three games, Ayo put up averages of 18.0 points, 8.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 23-of-30 from the field and 7-of-10 from 3-point range.

With these three players in the lineup, plus DeMar DeRozan playing a de facto point guard role at times and LaVine hopefully coming back soon, the Bulls should be able to navigate this extended time without Ball. That is, of course, assuming there aren't any more debilitating injuries.

Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast is part of the Blue Wire Podcast Network. The pod can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts.