Bulls guard Lonzo Ball to miss remainder of season, after setback in recovery from knee injury
CHICAGO (CBS/AP) -- Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball will miss the rest of the 2021-22 season and the upcoming playoffs, as he continues to deal with pain following surgery to repair a torn knee ligament in January.
The Bulls announced Wednesday morning Ball will continue daily treatment and rehabilitation on his left knee in hopes of being ready for the start of the 2022-23 season.
As expected, Bulls are shutting down Lonzo Ball for remainder of season after his knee isn’t responding well following January’s knee surgery. @cbschicago
— Krista Ruch (@KristaCBS2) April 6, 2022
Ball suffered another setback in his recovery from his January 28 surgery to repair the torn meniscus in his left knee.
Ball felt some discomfort after he tried to ramp up activities again following a 10-day pause, coach Billy Donovan said Tuesday.
"It's disappointing from the standpoint you were hoping that the time that he had off could help him kind of maybe propel going forward and do a little bit more," he said. "But that certainly hasn't been the case."
Donovan said the next step will probably be a "meeting of the minds" in the next day or two. And the possibility of Ball missing the remainder of the season is "on the table."
Ball has not played since Jan. 14. He was a big reason why the Bulls led the Eastern Conference for part of the season, averaging 13 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists after coming from New Orleans last summer in a sign-and-trade deal.
The Bulls are sixth in the Eastern Conference standings, with a 45-34 record following Tuesday night's loss to the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, although they have clinched their first playoff appearance since 2017.
The Bulls held out two-time All-Star Zach LaVine because of ongoing soreness in his left knee. They host the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night at the United Center.