Tag: Lonzo Ball

Report: Lonzo Ball cleared for ‘advanced rehab activities’

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball has been cleared for advanced rehab activities.

According to KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, Lonzo Ball has been officially cleared for “advanced rehab activities.” The Chicago Bulls point guard hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since 2022. He’s undergone multiple surgeries since then, and there has even been some speculation that he may never play again.

However, Ball has continuously worked toward a return, despite an overall lack of progress. But now, it’s looking like he’s inching closer than ever to a return. When Ball was on the court, the Bulls were one of the most intriguing teams in the league, but since he’s been out, they’ve been painfully average.

Head coach Billy Donovan spoke about the progress Ball has been making.

“Some of the workouts have been really, really positive and he has progressed,” Donovan said. “He has responded well. Some of the things that medical guys have shown me is he looks good moving. I’m just really happy for him personally for his progress. He has worked hard to put himself in this position. And hopefully, he can continue to progress.”

Getting Ball back next season would be huge for Chicago.

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New video surfaces of Lonzo Ball working toward Bulls return

A video recently surfaced of Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball working toward a return from injury.

The Chicago Bulls were all in on their new core after the 2021 NBA offseason. And through the first couple of months of the season, things looked like they were going well. The Bulls were one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. However, an injury to Lonzo Ball completely derailed their season.

Since then, Ball hasn’t been back on the court. It’s been over two years now since he last played a game for Chicago. Some people have begun to speculate whether or not he’ll ever stop foot on an NBA court again. But he’s still putting in the work toward a return from injury.

A recent video surfaced of Ball getting in some work on the court, and he looks like he’s trying his best to get into game shape.

Whether or not Ball gets back on the court for the Bulls is yet to be seen, but he’s definitely trying his best.

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Should the Chicago Bulls give up on a Lonzo Ball return?

We have been down this road before, only to see ourselves be disappointed with yet another setback.

Should the Chicago Bulls give up on a Lonzo Ball return to the court? Once again, we are hearing rumbles and seeing videos that hint that the Bulls floor general is trending in the right direction with regard to his longtime knee injury issues.

But we have been down this road before, only to see ourselves be disappointed with yet another setback. At this point, it is probably only safe to say that Ball is back when we see him on the court playing at a high level. But how does Chicago deal with this level of uncertainty about a player that takes up so much of the Bulls’ cap space?

The hosts of the “Locked On Bulls” podcast, Haize and Pat The Designer, weighed in on Ball’s current status and potential to return to the organization.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear their thoughts in full.

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NBA analyst throws cold water on Bulls’ Lonzo Ball returning to form next season

This is not to say that he will be a useless player, either — but if Ball does make it back on the court next season, it’s likely best to cut him a whole lot of slack.

Fans of the Chicago Bulls holding out hope that star Bulls floor general Lonzo Ball might finally return to form after an extended, multi-season absence due to knee injury won’t be pleased to hear that NBA Dot Com’s Sam Smith has reservations about such an outcome.

“I’m not optimistic about Ball, though we all hope he can play again,” wrote Smith on the Chicago point guard’s prospects to return to the court at a high level next season. “But if he can come through yet another surgery, it’s actually unfair to expect him to return to a high level of play after basically not playing for three years.”

“And the way it’s sounded almost learning to walk again,” added Smith. “I do believe he will play in the NBA again, but it seems a lot to expect it to be next season to the point you look at it like him in 2020.”

This is not to say that he will be a useless player, either — but if Ball does make it back on the court next season, it’s likely best to cut him a whole lot of slack in the early going.

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Bulls’ Lonzo Ball shares optimistic update on injury return plans

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball recently shared some thoughts on his injury recovery.

It’s officially been over two full years since Lonzo Ball stepped on an NBA basketball court for the Chicago Bulls. When Chicago brought him on board, the plan was clear – be competitive in the East. And when he was healthy, they found success. They were one of the top teams in the conference in the early stages of the season.

Ball has been dealing with a knee injury for the past two seasons. He missed the entirety of the 2022-23 season and is now slated to miss all of this year as well. The Bulls have missed him, but he remains optimistic.

The Bulls point guard recently confirmed that his plan is absolutely to get back on the court. He’s working towards it and will continue to do so.

“I definitely plan on playing again,” Ball said via KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “After surgery three, I feel like it’s going well so far, no setbacks. So for me it’s just keep my head up, just keep doing the work. Rehab has been long. It feels like every day is almost the same. But I’m getting better each week and that’s all I can ask for. It feels good to be around the guys. You can feel a new energy in the building, at least coming from my point of view.

Bulls head coach Billy Donovan also shared his optimistic outlook on the situation.

“The biggest thing we’ve tried to do is make sure he’s in the right hands to go through the rehab and recover and try to get as close to fully healthy as he possibly can,” Donovan said. “At some point when he’s cleared to play and this continues to move in the right direction, he’s going to need some time. I am hopeful and optimistic that he’ll be back with us.

Ball may not be back this year, but the Bulls are ready for whenever he’s ready.

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Lonzo Ball trade rumors ramping up ahead of potential Bulls moves

For the second time in the span of a week, rumors have indicated that the Chicago Bulls could trade Lonzo Ball.

When the Chicago Bulls reshaped their roster in 2021, they changed everything. They brought in DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, and Lonzo Ball in free agency, and before all of that, they added Nikola Vuevic at the 2021 trade deadline. Fast forward to nearly three years later, and things haven’t gone according to plan.

The Bulls have won just a single playoff game since then, and while they are in the Play-In race this season, it’s looking like they are going to restructure the roster at the trade deadline. Ball hasn’t played in a game since January of 22 – two years ago – and while he’s not going to get back on the court anytime soon, his time with the Bulls could be over sooner than most expect.

KC Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago recently reported that ist’s “conceivable” that the Bulls use Ball’s salary in a potential trade.

“Ball owns a $21.4 million player option for next season that he’ll certainly exercise,” Johnson wrote. “Given that insurance is currently paying the bulk of his contract, it’s conceivable that Ball is used as a salary-matching addition to any potential trade the Bulls make before the Feb. 8 trade deadline.”

This is the second time Ball’s name has come up in trade rumors in the span of a week. Long-time NBA insider Marc Stein and his newsletter, “The Stein Line,” also reported similar findings.

“Potentially supporting such notions are the recent whispers that the Bulls have not completely ruled out using Lonzo Ball’s insurance-covered contract in a trade to add talent,” Stein wrote.

“Ball, who has been particularly missed by LaVine, last played in January 2022 and will miss this entire season because of ongoing knee issues. The 26-year-old holds a $21.4 million player option for next season that he is certain to exercise, but with 80 percent of Ball’s contract covered by league-provided insurance because he’s been out so long, Chicago wouldn’t be paying out nearly that much if it simply opts to keep Ball.”

Nothing is for sure, but it’s looking more and more like the Bulls could be willing to use Ball in a trade this year.

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Report: Bulls could use Lonzo Ball as trade chip to add talent

According to a recent report, the Chicago Bulls may not have ruled out the idea of trading Lonzo Ball to add talent.

The Chicago Bulls’ recent success could have an impact on their trade deadline plans this season. After a sluggish start, they’ve climbed back into the race for the Play-In Tournament, and now, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic are back from their respective injuries. The question is, will they reset the roster or look to add talent?

The real answer could fall somewhere in between. While they could end up trading guys like LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso, they could simply move talent around and look to add more win-now pieces. And even more interestingly, the Bulls may not be opposed to trading Lonzo Ball.

According to long-time NBA insider Marc Stein and his newsletter, “The Stein Line,” the Bulls may not have ruled out the idea of moving Ball’s contract in an attempt to add talent.

“Potentially supporting such notions are the recent whispers that the Bulls have not completely ruled out using Lonzo Ball’s insurance-covered contract in a trade to add talent,” Stein wrote.

“Ball, who has been particularly missed by LaVine, last played in January 2022 and will miss this entire season because of ongoing knee issues. The 26-year-old holds a $21.4 million player option for next season that he is certain to exercise, but with 80 percent of Ball’s contract covered by league-provided insurance because he’s been out so long, Chicago wouldn’t be paying out nearly that much if it simply opts to keep Ball.”

Ball hasn’t played in a game since January of 2022 and is slated to miss the entirety of this season, too.

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Lonzo Ball’s knee pain ‘eliminated,’ will start running in January

The pain in Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball’s knee has been reportedly “eliminated,” and he is set to return to running in January.

According to Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, the pain in Lonzo Ball’s knee has been completely “eliminated,” and he is slated to return to running at some point in January. Before the season, Ball, who has not appeared in a game since January of 2022, was set to miss the entirety of the season.

Per Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune, who posted Donovan’s comments to Twitter, Ball is still not expected to make a return to action this year. That said, the fact that he’s no longer feeling pain in his knee is a great sign for the future of the Bulls and, more specifically, Ball’s future in the NBA.

When Ball was healthy, the Bulls were one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, but ever since he went down, they’ve struggled to maintain a spot in the Play-In race.

That said, they’ve found their footing as of late. The emergence of Coby White as one of the better point guards in the league has helped them climb all the way back into the Play-In picture, and after a 5-14 start to the year, that’s a huge improvement.

Add in all the trade rumblings surrounding Zach LaVine (and the rest of the roster), and this year has been quite an intriguing one for the Bulls. And now, Ball’s potential return to running has added yet another storyline to watch.

If Ball can get back out on the court for the Bulls sometime next season, it would be absolutely huge for the organization.

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Bulls urged to trade Lonzo Ball in favor of optimizing core

Trading Lonzo Ball could be the best course of action for the Chicago Bulls core moving forward.

The Chicago Bulls pushed all their chips on the table two years ago, forming a new-look core and ending their rebuild. They traded for Nikola Vucevic at the deadline and followed up that move by signing DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso the following summer, solidifying Chicago’s push for the postseason.

And while they got off to a head start in the 2021-22 season, Chicago quickly fell apart, as Ball went down with an injury 35 games into his Bulls career and hasn’t been back on the court since. In his absence, the Bulls have only won a single playoff game over the course of two years.

According to Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report, the Bulls “should consider” trading Ball in favor of getting the most out of their current core.

“As sad as it is to acknowledge, he’s mostly a question mark at this point, which is hard on the Chicago Bulls as well. He’s their third-highest paid player and has a $21.4 million player option for 2024-25.

If he returns to 85-90 percent of his healthy self for that campaign, great. But the Bulls can’t bank on that.

Instead, if the trio of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević has the Bulls in the playoff hunt, they probably need to see what they can get for Ball’s contract as salary filler,” Bailey wrote.

He also noted that a team looking to tank could be willing to take on Ball’s salary and send back win-now assets.

“A team more concerned with pingpong balls in the lottery than wins in the standings may be willing to send a difference-maker to the Bulls for Ball and a draft asset,” Bailey wrote.

Ball is the perfect fit for this Bulls team, but he just can’t get healthy, and Chicago doesn’t have time to wait.

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Report: Bulls organization ‘unsure’ if Lonzo Ball will ever play again

The Chicago Bulls are supposedly “unsure” if Lonzo Ball will ever play again.

Two years ago, the Chicago Bulls completely reshaped their roster. They traded for Nikola Vucevic, and the following summer, they signed DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso in free agency. They got off to a hot start in 2021, but since then, they’ve struggled to live up to expectations.

Ball went down with an injury just 35 games into his Bulls career and has yet to make his way back to the court since. And now, he’s set to miss the entirety of the upcoming season as well. The Bulls point guard maintains that he will find his way back onto the hardwood eventually, but others disagree.

According to Jamal Collier of ESPN, some in the Bulls organization are “unsure” if Ball will ever play again.

“Although the Bulls remain optimistic, sources said the organization is still unsure if Ball will ever play for them again, knowing he still has a long way to go in his rehab process,” Collier write. “But his progress following this most recent surgery has given all parties involved reason for hope.”

That said, Ball is determined to remain positive.

“That maybe sounds hard, but for me at the end of the day, I know that I’m still very blessed and I’m still better off than a lot of people in the world,” Ball said via Collier. “I can’t complain about the injuries that I’ve had. I still have a great life. A lot of my family is healthy. Besides basketball, there’s no real struggles in my life and I’m just blessed for that.”

If the Bulls want to be at their best, they need Ball. But with all the uncertainty surrounding his rehab, they can’t depend on him.

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