Feb. 18--If Nikola Mirotic had questions about why he needed a second surgery in early February to remove a hematoma after his Jan. 27 appendectomy, they had to wait.
"There was not too much time to explain," Mirotic said Wednesday in his first public comments since the procedures. "I was really in pain with a high fever. They made me go straight to the surgery room. When I awakened, they explained what happened to me. I was a little bit confused and scared about the situation. But life is like this. You never know."
Particularly when it comes to the Bulls and medical procedures. And while this didn't rival the life-threatening complications Luol Deng suffered with leaking spinal fluid after his 2013 spinal tap, an upbeat but noticeably thinner Mirotic did call it "not a really good experience."
Mirotic said he has put some of the 17 to 18 pounds he lost back on and vowed to return during the regular season. But he doesn't know when, guessing at two to three more weeks.
"They say in 30 years, (complications) never happened to nobody, just me. I'm the first one. It was maybe bad luck," Mirotic said of comments the surgeon relayed to him. "It was no one's mistake. It just could happen. I'm trying to forget that and focus on my recovery."
Mirotic said he has just begun walking and minor rehab work in the pool and weight room and on a stationary bike. But he still has pain in his abdomen and back.
"I'm feeling better now each day," he said. "It's true that this process is going a bit slower than I was expecting. ... Last year, I just missed one game. The good thing is I know my body is young and I can recover soon."
Best foot forward: Taj Gibson said the strained left foot that knocked him out of the last game before the All-Star break feels "fine" and that he isn't aware of any limitations heading into the back-to-back set Thursday and Friday.
The veteran also flashed his typical team-first approach to the recent 5-13 slide.
"In previous years we were able to muster up because we had guys who had been here for awhile. We had a good belief system," he said. "This is a little different. But I believe in this team. I texted Coach (Fred Hoiberg) before the break and I told him I believe he's a great coach and I believe in his system. It just takes time. It takes guys being healthy and willing to muster up things.
"We've proven we've been able to beat the good teams in this league. But we lose to the bad teams. But I told (Hoiberg), 'I appreciate everything you've done for this team and I'm going to ride with you.' That's what we need."
Layups: Hoiberg, a former Timberwolves' executive, on why the trade deadline typically features a flurry of news: "People just lie to each other up until those last 48 hours and then conversations finally become serious." ... Neither Mirotic nor Jimmy Butler traveled to Cleveland for the Bulls game Thursday night against the Cavaliers.
