There’s suddenly a lot of wait-and-see for a Bulls team that is running short on time.
Coach Billy Donovan was once again talking injuries on Tuesday, giving updates on newly acquired guards Anfernee Simons (left hand fracture) and Jaden Ivey (left knee), and there was uncertainty around both.
Simons injured his hand on Saturday, meeting with a specialist and getting imaging done on
Monday. According to Donovan, Simons actually has an existing fracture in the hand that he’s been dealing with since training camp with the Celtics.
The specialist said it did not require surgery unless it worsens or persists, so the hope is to have the guard back sooner than later. That’s the hope.
“He did have some difficulty in Boston with it in training camp and missed a little bit of time, maybe 10 days with it,” Donovan said. “The fracture hasn’t quite healed and I think him seeing a hand specialist they decided that once the pain subsides, he’s fine to go back to play. I don’t know how long that’s going to be. If I go off the last time it happened to him in Boston it was a week-to-10 days. That’s where it’s at. I don’t know what will happen at the end of the year.”
It’s a bit tricker with Ivey. The former Piston suffered a broken fibula last season in Detroit, missed the remainder of the season and returned this year. He did not return the same explosive Ivey he was out of Purdue, however.
That was obvious in his first four games with the Bulls, and beyond concerning.
“We started him on a program, right now just to ramp him up physically,” Donovan said. “A lot of it has been to get the strength back in around his knee. That process started a couple days ago, so he’s in the midst of doing that. Talking to the medical guys it’s going to be pretty intense for him, the program to get the strength back as quickly as possible, so he’s going to have to really work hard on that part of it. I think he feels better not playing, the pain has subsided, but the biggest concern the medical guys have is his strength. That his quad is firing, he can cut and move, be the athlete that he’s been.”
Sounds good, but there are only 24 games left and each day the runway gets a bit shorter.
**Memories**
Coby White had a lot to say in his return to the United Center with Charlotte, and a lot of it centered around how important Donovan was for his development.
“I give him a lot of credit for how far I came,” White said. “When you’re a young player he is very hard on you. It’s a lot of tough love, but it’s because he sees something in you and he’s from New York, he’s battle-tested, so that’s his way to kind of see how tough you are. Can you respond? He was like that with Ayo as well, he was like that with Pat (Williams). He was like that with a lot of young guys that came through here.
“We built a great relationship as player-coach, but he’s been a guy that’s important to me off the court as well. That’s a relationship that will last forever.”
White was traded just before the Feb. 5 deadline.
**Broken ‘Stix’**
The lack of size in the Bulls frontcourt took another hit as Jalen Smith – nicknamed “Stix” – was again sidelined with a right calf strain. Donovan had no idea when he would return as this remains an on-going issue for the forward/center.
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Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Bulls reporter