NEWSLETTER
Nope. Don’t like that.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Zach LaVine is headed to Los Angeles this week to see a specialist about his sore left knee.
Chicago Bulls All-Star guard Zach LaVine will travel to Los Angeles to see a specialist for his left knee early this week, sources tell ESPN. LaVine has been dealing with recurring discomfort and will get further evaluation. He’s still planning to participate in All-Star Weekend.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 13, 2022
The Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley confirmed the report and said the team is preparing to be without their best player for the rest of the week/as they head toward the All-Star break.
Here is Wojnarowski’s exact phrasing from his write-up on ESPN:
“LaVine has been experiencing discomfort in the knee for several weeks,” Wojnarowski wrote. “and although a January MRI showed no structural damage, there’s certainly a level of concern within the organization, sources said.
The good news is that only two games remain before a much-needed week off. Both games will come at the United Center against two western conference squads that sit below .500. Wojnarowski did also note that LaVine still plans to participate in All-Star Weekend (Michael: … Which is a bad idea, in my opinion, even if he does have the green light. Just take the built in rest, man). LaVine is currently committed to the 3-point contest on February 19th and has been drafted to play on Team Durant in the big game.
Still, it’s nearly impossible not to get that uneasy feeling in your stomach. LaVine has dealt with this knee issue since he walked off the floor just 3 minutes into a matchup with the Golden State Warriors on January 14. Fortunately, an MRI went on to reveal no structural damage, but LaVine still had to miss five games before he rejoined the Bulls ten days later. Then, LaVine played in six more games before he sat out two more contests due to back spasms.
LaVine went on to appear in three more games, looking noticeably uncomfortable in the third matchup while scoring an uncharacteristic 12 points. The team decided to sit him on the backend of a back-to-back for what they listed as “left knee: injury management.” And now we’re here.
Again, it’s positive that the initial MRI showed no structural damage, but it’s not positive that Woj can report a “level of concern within the organization.” Things clearly aren’t getting better, and that’s terrifying for a team that has already been one of the unluckiest squads in the league this season when it comes to injury trouble. I’ll be knocking on every piece of wood I own over the next couple of days for some good LaVine news.
Sit out some games. Sit out of the 3-points contest. Sit out the All-Star Game. Please just don’t let this be anything long-term.
