Additional offensive help is not on the way for the Chicago Bulls.
Already bogged down by subpar play at the point guard position (sup, Derrick Rose) and in the frontcourt (sup, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah), the Bulls definitely need an offensive boost. Though they rank as one of the league’s best three-point shooting teams, they’re dwelling in the bottom five of offensive efficiency as they struggle to master, even implement, head coach Fred Hoiberg’s well-respected ideology.
Mike Dunleavy, who has yet to play this season, would be an ideal addition to Chicago’s choppy attack. He provides a steady dose of catch-and-shoot marksmanship and defense, and he’s a clear upgrade over the rather inexperienced Tony Snell.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, Dunleavy isn’t yet close to returning, according to Yahoo Sports Adrian Wojnarowski:
After meeting with specialists in Los Angeles, the Chicago Bulls’ Mike Dunleavy is expected to need four-to-six weeks of additional rehabilitation on his back before he can be cleared to return for on-court work, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Dunleavy, a 6-foot-9 wing player, will undergo a re-evaluation at the end of the four-to-six week stretch to determine his fitness to return to basketball activities, sources said.
Dunleavy, who has yet to play this season, underwent lower back microdiscectomy surgery 2½ months ago and suffered a recent setback in his push to return to the Bulls’ lineup. It is possible the recurrence of Dunleavy’s injury had been because he had pushed too hard, too soon in his recovery process.
This is not a pleasant update. It offers no light at the end of the tunnel.
Four to six weeks alone isn’t ideal. That takes the Bulls into January. But four to six weeks doesn’t even promise a return to action. Once Dunleavy is cleared for basketball activity, he’ll need to get his game legs under him. That takes time, and it’s likely he’ll crawl before he walks, participating in some drills, then in some five-on-five scrimmages, before ultimately being declared game-ready.
Reaching that point, given the current timeline, could easily take up to eight weeks or more. And that brings the Bulls into February, potentially into the All-Star break.
Yes, they’re remaining afloat now. They’re 11-5 with a defense that would make former head honcho Tom Thibodeau proud. But unless Rose suddenly regains MVP form, and unless the aging process for Chicago’s frontcourt slows, the Bulls need all the help they can get, as soon as they can get it.
