DENVER – Tuesday in Los Angeles was a long night for rookie Wendell Carter Jr.
The Bulls big man hurt his left thumb in the loss, and when he took x-rays after the game, they initially showed what was believed to be a fracture. That meant six-to-eight weeks on the shelf.
“I was kind of scared honestly, just that I wouldn’t be out there for my team,’’ Carter Jr. said Thursday. “I would be sidelined. It just looked bad in terms of so many people have gotten injured this year, and it would be just like another one that’s gotten injured. I’m just glad it wasn’t true, but it was definitely weighing on my mind that whole night.’’
An MRI was a huge relief for the seventh-overall pick, as the results came back as just a sprain. And while he’s been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Nuggets, his hope was to be back on Saturday, after a few more days of rehab.
Not that he didn’t try and give it a go in the afternoon shootaround.
“It was just favoring it, just trying to make sure the ball didn’t hit it funny or stuff like that,’’ Carter Jr. said. “I feel like that could put my team in jeopardy. I don’t want to be the one out there that’s not able to grab balls with two hands or do things like that. I didn’t want to be a liability to my team on the defensive end or offensive end.’’
