TORONTO – It’s amazing how two-to-four weeks for a sprained medial collateral ligament can turn into six weeks and the rest of the season.
Call it the economics of basketball.
The Sunday update on Kris Dunn’s right knee injury was still vague, as the Bulls organization wanted to make sure they dotted all the I’s and crossed the T’s. But there is also a certain reality the Bulls must face on Dunn. If he is in fact sidelined until March and the playoffs remain a pipedream, Dunn and his camp could opt to simply shut it down the rest of the season.
The guard will be a restricted free agent this offseason, and looking to get his first real pay day off the rookie contract. So why should he mess with an MCL that could only get worse?
Coach Jim Boylen doesn’t feel that will be a factor.
“I don’t talk to [Dunn] about that,’’ Boylen said. “I think we both come from the school of kind of no nonsense. Control the things we can control. That will play itself out. I just want to let him know that we’re supporting him, care for him. He means more to this team than the impact he has on the floor. He’s great in the video room. He’s great on the practice floor. In the meal room, he has a group of guys he sits with and there’s always laughter coming from the table. Those things are important to a team. We’ll miss that.’’
The Dunn situation was becoming a complicated one. With this injury, however, even more layers have been added to it.
It took a few years, but the Bulls have gotten back to an identity. Sure, the defense-first mentality is not even close to the production it had under former coach Tom Thibodeau, but at least Boylen has turned it into something.
The problem is that Dunn is the heart-beat of that identity. His defense on the perimeter has been “all-defensive,’’ according to Boylen, and he’s also a solid voice in the locker room.
Like they always seem to do, the Bulls will undoubtedly let the market set a price on Dunn, and they then have the opportunity to match it or let him walk.
If Dunn falls in that $8-$10 million per year mark, the Bulls will likely match it. But if it goes outside $10 million, it could very well be a pack-the-bags situation.
While the Bulls know everything Dunn is about, there is also a hope that the roster will get fully healthy by March, so they can really see how Dunn works with the likes of an Otto Porter, Thaddeus Young and company.
If Dunn and his camp decide the risk vs. reward is too great, however, that’s all out the window.
“I think Kris Dunn was having an All-Defensive season and a great season,’’ Boylen said.
Walking wounded
Losing Dunn was an obvious setback, but the roster has been getting close to adding some more depth.
Rookie Daniel Gafford returned to the rotation on Sunday, after missing the last few weeks with a dislocated right thumb.
Veteran Otto Porter Jr. (left foot fracture) started getting shots up for the first time on this road trip, while Lauri Markkanen (right pelvis) also took shots in the Saturday practice. Second-year big man Wendell Carter Jr. was expected to be back by now, but the injured right ankle has taken a bit longer than expected, keeping him out of the Rising Stars Game during All-Star Weekend.
If the Bulls can keep their heads above water and stay within striking distance of Brooklyn for the No. 8 spot come March, it could be an interesting final six weeks.
