FEBRUARY 21, 2023 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM
Bulls shut down PG Lonzo Ball with continued soreness Apr 22, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (center) looks on from the bench during the second half of game three o...
Bulls shut down PG Lonzo Ball with continued soreness Apr 22, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (center) looks on from the bench during the second half of game three o...
FEBRUARY 21, 2023 • KANSASCITY.COM
Lonzo Ball Out for Season, Bulls Announce The guard hasn’t played in a game since Jan. 14, 2022.
FEBRUARY 21, 2023 • KANSASCITY.COM
Confirmed out for season Bulls executive vice president of operations Arturas Karnisovas confirmed in an announcement Tuesday that Ball (knee) won't be available to play during the 2022-23 season.
Impact Though Karnisovas' statement noted that Ball has made "significant increases in strength and function over the past several months," the point guard "continues to experience performance limiting discomfort during participation in high level basketball-related activities." Even if Ball's discomfort subsides within the next month or two, he won't have sufficient time to regain enough fitness to return to game action. The Bulls are thus having Ball focus on a return to the court for the start of the 2023-24 season. However, given the pessimism so far surrounding his recovery from the torn meniscus in his left knee that he suffered in January 2022 and that has since required two surgical procedures, it's far from a given that the 25-year-old will be back to full strength by the fall. Next season, Ball will be entering the third and final year of the contract he inked with the Bulls as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Pelicans in August 2021, but the contract also contains a $21.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season.
FEBRUARY 21, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Darnell Mayberry: Bulls chief basketball exec Arturas Karnišovas... - The Athletic Bulls chief basketball exec Arturas Karnišovas on Lonzo Ball being ruled out for the 2022-23 season: “Despite making significant increases i...
FEBRUARY 21, 2023 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Darnell Mayberry: Karnišovas on Lonzo Ball being ruled out for... - The Athletic Karnišovas on Lonzo Ball being ruled out for the 2022-23 season (cont.): “Considering the required time period to achieve the necessary leve...
FEBRUARY 21, 2023 • THEATHLETIC.COM
Reports: Bulls shut down PG Lonzo Ball with continued soreness Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is out for the remainder of the season with continued soreness and discomfort in his surgically repaired left...
FEBRUARY 21, 2023 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM
Expected to be shut down Ball (knee) is expected to be shut down for the remainder of the 2022-23 season, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Impact Unfortunately, the writing has been on the wall for several months, as all indications are that Ball continues to battle pain and discomfort in his surgically repaired left knee. The guard underwent two procedures on the knee in 2022, the first of which ended his 2021-22 campaign after just 35 appearances. Entering this season, there was some hope that Ball would be able to rehab and return at some point, but now it looks as though the team will close the book on that possibility coming out of the All-Star break. Ball, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, is only 25 years old, but given the developments of the last calendar year, it's now fair to question whether he'll ever be able to recapture his status as one of the league's most promising two-way guards. Prior to being shut down in 2021-22, Ball averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks while shooting a career-best 42.3 percent from three (3.1 3PM/G) for the season.
FEBRUARY 21, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Update coming after break Bulls vice president Arturas Karnisovas said Saturday that Ball (knee) will have his status updated following the All-Star break, Brian Dulik of The Associated Press reports.
Impact Chicago's upcoming update on Ball could provide final word once and for all regarding whether or not he has a realistic chance of playing during the 2022-23 season. The sixth-year point guard hasn't played in an NBA game since Jan. 14, 2022 while struggling to make progress in his recovery from a pair of arthroscopic procedures on his left knee. Though prior updates on Ball from head coach Billy Donovan haven't been especially encouraging, the 25-year-old has been able to dunk the basketball in addition to doing some light running in recent weeks, so he hasn't been completely shut down from activity.
FEBRUARY 12, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Timeline of Lonzo Ball's knee injury — and the long road ahead for the Chicago Bulls point guard The Chicago Bulls are creeping closer to shutting down point guard Lonzo Ball for a second straight season. Ball hasn’ t played since Jan. 1...
FEBRUARY 7, 2023 • BOSTONHERALD.COM
Lakers Rumors: Insider Proposes Blockbuster Trade To Bring Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball Back To LA It’s an immediate upgrade, but does it return the Lakers to contention?
FEBRUARY 6, 2023 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM
Lakers Rumors: Insider Proposes Blockbuster Trade To Bring Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball Back To LA It’s an immediate upgrade, but does it return the Lakers to contention?
FEBRUARY 6, 2023 • KANSASCITY.COM
LaVar Ball emphasizes patience in son's recovery: 'Lonzo is going to be fine,' he says of the Chicago Bulls guard LaVar Ball isn’ t always a source of tranquility. But when it comes to the recovery of one of his sons— Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball...
FEBRUARY 3, 2023 • MERCURYNEWS.COM
Lonzo Ball is 'nowhere near playing' as Chicago Bulls target the All-Star break for discussion on shutting down his season The Chicago Bulls are creeping closer to shutting down point guard Lonzo Ball for a second straight season. If Ball can’ t make a drastic im...
JANUARY 29, 2023 • DENVERPOST.COM
'Nowhere close' to returning Coach Billy Donovan said before Saturday's game against the Magic that Ball (knee) is "nowhere close" to returning and the team will have a formal conversation about a cut-off date...
Impact It's looking increasingly unlikely that Ball will appear in a game this season. Despite making tangible progress this month, like light running and dunking, Ball is still experiencing significant discomfort in his surgically-repaired left knee. Fantasy managers still holding onto Ball in redraft leagues are probably safe to drop him, especially if those leagues end in mid-to-late March rather than April.
JANUARY 28, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Lonzo Ball says he still hopes to play for Bulls this season
Chicago guard Lonzo Ball has not abandoned hopes of playing this season, even though he’s still experiencing discomfort in his surgically repaired left kneeJANUARY 16, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hope for playing in 2022-23 waning Ball said Monday that he's still experiencing some discomfort in his surgically repaired left knee and acknowledged the possibility that he might not be able to play during the 202...
Impact While joining the Bulls in Paris ahead of their upcoming game in Paris on Thursday, Ball told reporters that he's remained mentally strong in his year-long absence from the left knee injury that he's addressed through a pair of arthroscopic procedures, the second of which he had in late September. Though Ball is doing light running again and taking part in some on-court work, he likely won't be cleared to ramp up to full-speed, full-contact practice until the discomfort in his knee completely subsides. At this stage, Ball appears safe to rule out through the All-Star break, and his comments Monday suggest that the 25-year-old isn't entirely confident he'll be ready to play before the Bulls wrap up their regular-season slate April 9. Given his lack of a return timeline -- if he suits up at all in 2022-23 -- Ball is tough to justify holding in most redraft leagues with limited injured-list spots.
JANUARY 16, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Lonzo Ball hasn't played basketball for a full year — and his future with the Chicago Bulls remains uncertain Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball still is experiencing pain while performing exercises, a full year after his baffling left knee injury.
JANUARY 14, 2023 • CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM
Progresses to dunking Ball (knee) shared videos on Instagram of him dunking and running on the treadmill, but coach Billy Donovan continues to state that the guard's progress is "really, really slow," K...
Impact Of course, Ball dunking is a great sign that he's progressing, but Johnson notes that he's yet to be cleared to cut or do full-speed daily on-court running -- maybe his biggest hurdles. Saturday (Jan. 14) marks the one-year mark since Ball last appeared in an NBA game. It's doubtful he will play before the All-Star break, and his status for the entire 2022-23 season remains in doubt.
JANUARY 13, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Bulls' Billy Donovan Discusses Lonzo Ball Before 76ers Matchup Before the Bulls took on the 76ers Friday night, Chicago head coach Billy Donovan offered an update on Lonzo Ball.
JANUARY 8, 2023 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM
Still progressing slowly Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said Friday that Ball is making some progress in his recovery from left knee surgery, Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago reports. "[He is' regularly...
Impact Though Donovan continues to note that Ball's recovery from the latest surgery he had on his knee in September is going "really slow" and the point guard is "not even close" to being cleared for contact, it's at least a positive development that he isn't being shut down from activity entirely. That being said, Ball is nearing the one-year mark since he last played in an NBA game (Jan. 14, 2022), and he's currently at the stage in his recovery in which his rehab stalled out last spring, ultimately forcing a follow-up surgery in the fall. Based on where he currently stands, Ball seems unlikely to play before the All-Star break in mid-February, and it may be a stretch for him to suit up at any point before the 2022-23 season comes to a close unless he's able to begin practicing in some capacity within the next month or so.
JANUARY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Lonzo Ball reports slow progress with left knee rehab During a community event on the North Side, Bulls guard Lonzo Ball gave a progress report on his left knee rehab. For the moment, there's no...
DECEMBER 22, 2022 • DAILYHERALD.COM
Bulls guard Lonzo Ball 'still a ways out' from returning from knee injury: 'Just trying to work through the pain' CHICAGO — Lonzo Ball greeted a group of fathers as he made his way through Carter’s on North Halsted on Wednesday afternoon.
DECEMBER 21, 2022 • KANSASCITY.COM
Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball 'still a ways out' from returning from his knee injury: 'Just trying to work through the pain' Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball held a holiday giveback Wednesday at a children's apparel store and provided an update on his rehab. “I...
DECEMBER 21, 2022 • CHICAGOTRIBUNE.COM
Still without timeline to play Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said Sunday that Ball (knee) is "progressing towards" running, but the point guard remains without a timeline to do that activity, K.C. Johnson of NB...
Impact While Donovan's update is mildly positive, it's far from a guarantee that Ball, who underwent the second procedure on his left knee in eight months in late September, will be able to play at any point this season. Just one week ago, Adrian Wojnarowski reported on ESPN's "NBA Countdown" that Ball still has pain his left knee, a discouraging sign given that he's now two and a half months removed from his latest procedure. Even if Ball is able to get back on the court to do some running in the near future, it's worth noting that the 25-year-old previously felt pain while running on an anti-gravity treadmill last season while rehabbing from the initial surgery. With that in mind, the Bulls are likely to proceed extremely cautiously with Ball, whom Donovan said will require a "significant ramp-up period" to regain conditioning whenever he's ultimately cleared to resume basketball activities. Given that he doesn't currently look to be on pace to make his season debut until after the All-Star break, if at all, Ball likely isn't worth holding in most redraft leagues.
DECEMBER 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
