According to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Chicago Bulls are believed to be facing a COVID-19 outbreak following positive test results from Derrick Jones Jr., DeMar DeRozan, Coby White, Matt Thomas, and Javonte Green to the League’s health and safety protocol.
Bulls are facing an outbreak on team with Jones joining teammates DeMar DeRozan, Coby White, Matt Thomas and Javonte Green in protocols. https://t.co/QxIXu5ApTv
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 9, 2021
Woj further reported that just like his teammates, Jones will be out for at least 10 days and can break out of the protocol following consecutive negative PCR tests within a 24 hour period.
Not only are the Bulls missing five players due to virus protocols, but the team is also without Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso who are out with wrist and hamstring injuries respectively. The injury bug that’s bitten Chicago allowed the Bulls to sign a 16th player through the League’s hardship extension, which the franchise used to sign Stanley Johnson to a 10-day contract.
In addition to the five players sidelined by the outbreak, the Bulls are missing forward Patrick Williams (wrist) and guard Alex Caruso (hamstring), which made the team eligible to sign a 16th player through the NBA’s hardship exception.
The Bulls are not in jeopardy of having games postponed with at least 11 healthy players available to play, including Caruso who Coach Billy Donovan believes could return by Saturday before the Lakers come into town to play Chicago on Sunday.
“I have not heard anything along those lines,” Donovan said Monday on the possibility of games being postponed per ESPN. “I think the biggest question that comes up is if you have something that runs through a team and you have multiple players that are not able to compete, is there enough players for the team to go out there and function.
“I do think the most important thing for our league is the health and safety of all the players. I think our guys have done a good job of following and doing what we’re asked to be done from the league and from the medical side. It’s just, I think, this time of year. There’s certainly been a spike in this, but I have not heard anything as it relates to them going into a situation of shutting down the league for a period of time. I have not heard that.”
