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Bulls fans will have to wait at least one more game before they see Lonzo Ball back on the court.
According to Bulls’ radio play-by-play announcer Chuck Swirsky, Ball will sit out the team’s first of five preseason games later this evening. The Bulls are set to face the Cavaliers at 6:00 p.m. CT in Cleveland.
The news comes after Billy Donovan expressed some hesitation about Ball’s status on Monday afternoon. While the guard has been an active participant at training camp, the organization sounds prepared to take things extremely slow with his highly anticipated return. Ball has been sidelined since January of 2022, undergoing three different knee procedures.
Heck, the fact Ball has even made it this far is pretty darn remarkable. The 26-year-old, who most recently underwent a complete cartilage transplant, has been open about the fact that this recovery is unlike anything the league has ever seen. If he or the Bulls want it to be anything more than a ceremonial return (and they do), they’ll have to act out of an abundance of caution.
The good news is that Donovan did state that Ball will suit up at some point this preseason, per Swirsky. The Bulls still have four more games on the calendar, including Oct. 12 against Memphis, Oct. 14 in Milwaukee, Oct. 16 against Minnesota, and Oct. 18 against Cleveland again. If I had to guess, I think the Bulls could target either this Saturday (Oct. 12) or next Wednesday (Oct. 16) as Lonzo Ball’s first game. Letting him take the floor to a big ovation from the home crowd wouldn’t be the worst idea!
As for Josh Giddey, he’s a full go. The point guard missed the first day of training camp due to an offseason ankle injury but has been ramping up ever since. Bulls fans will now get their first taste of what the 22-year-old can do. With all this talk of a new uptempo offense, Giddey projects to play a significant role.