Due to injury, Lonzo Ball has not played in an NBA game in over a year.
What was originally called knee soreness was elevated to a “small meniscus tear” that would require “minor surgery” and keep him on the sidelines for “several” weeks. He had a similar procedure on the same knee in July 2018.
He was originally expected to miss four-to-six weeks, though that has turned into more than 12 months. Ball struggled with running and jumping.
The Bulls no longer know whether or not Ball will return to the court this season and head coach Billy Donovan says that the former No. 2 overall pick is still “nowhere near” playing.
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According to @JCowleyHoops on 670 The Score:
1) The Chicago Bulls don't know why Lonzo Ball is still feeling pain in his knee. The medical staff doesn't know why there is still pain. Lonzo and his camp also don't know why.
2) Lonzo has had at least 6 opinions from doctors.
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) January 31, 2023
According to Chicago Sun-Times reporter Joe Cowley, the organization has no idea what is going on with this situation (via 670 The Score):
“I think they are as perplexed as, basically, Lonzo is. They’re sticking to that it’s not chronic. It’s not career-threatening. I think this year is pretty much a wash. I’d be shocked … There is a lot of confusion. Is there a nerve there that is damaged? Is it long-term?”
During the same interview, Cowley continued, we learned that Ball’s camp also does not know why Ball is taking so long to recover:
“It’s not like they’re hiding something from us. They don’t know. Lonzo doesn’t know. His camp doesn’t know. Medical doesn’t know … I’ve heard he’s had third, fourth, fifth, [and] sixth opinions [and] that they are scouring to find something that timetables it.”
Ball was essential to Chicago’s defensive identity and was a productive and impactful connector on the offensive side of the floor, too.
It is gut-wrenching to imagine how frustrating it must be for him, his camp, and the Bulls organization to have no idea why his injury recovery is taking so long.
