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By Ricardo Sandoval
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Chicago Bulls are coming off a tough and injury-riddled season in 2023-24. For the second consecutive season, the Bulls failed to make it out of the play-in tournament and missed the playoffs. The Bulls finished four games under .500, and their season once again came without the dynamic play of their point guard Lonzo Ball.
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Ball has missed significant time due to injury, including missing the last two seasons. It has been a tough go for the Bulls and Ball lately, but the hope is that all changes moving forward. While many won't have the Bulls atop the Eastern Conference standings following the departure of veterans DeMar DeRozan (via a sign-and-trade with the Sacramento Kings) and Alex Caruso (via a trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey), the hope is they are healthy enough to be a tough team next season.
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Bulls head coach Billy Donovan realizes the importance of Ball and revealed how excited he is to have him back, eventually, and the potential of Ball and the newest addition Josh Giddey can have on the team due to their pace of play.
"Hopefully we can get Lonzo back," Donovan said, during an interview with Frank Isola, Amin Elhassan, and Ryan McDonough of Sirius XM NBA Radio. "He's moving closer... he's a guy that everyone enjoys playing with and I think the same can be said for Josh."
Ball underwent surgery for his left knee midway through the 2021-22 season and has not stepped in between those lines since. The 26-year-old had two surgeries in 2022, one in January to repair a torn left meniscus and the other in September, where he underwent an arthroscopic debridement on his left knee. However, he continued to experience pain, leading to the Bulls shutting him down for the entire 2022-2023 season.
Although Ball has had successful surgeries, he continues to experience pain, which has led to the former lottery pick missing the last two-and-a-half seasons. The surgeries didn't stop there for Ball. He underwent his third surgery on the left knee last March for a more aggressive cartilage transplant procedure. Ball himself announced he would miss the entire 2023-2024 season.
While it's been bad news after bad news for Ball, his head coach hopes he will be available come the 2024-25 season. When he was last healthy, Ball not only provided a different dimension for the Bulls on offense but was also a willing and capable defender. He has tremendous size for his position, and that has been missed dearly by the Bulls and their fans.
The optimism surrounding Ball is buzzing, and it's become clear that Donovan can't wait to have him back on the hardwood.
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