Bulls don't expect Vucevic hamstring to be long-term issue
Bulls coach Billy Donovan said before Monday's game he doesn't think Nikola Vucevic's right hamstring strain is anything serious, but it was enough to keep him sidelined in Philadelphia.
Vucevic has been one of the Bulls' more durable players. The only games he's missed previously this season were when he was in health and safety protocols from Nov. 12-22.
"He dealt with (the hamstring) last game, it had been bothering him," Donovan said. "Nothing serious, which is a good thing."
Without Vucevic, the Bulls started Tristan Thompson at center and brought Tony Bradley off the bench. They did not bring in Tyler Cook or Marko Simonovic from Windy City.
Meanwhile, the recovering Bulls were on the sideline Monday, but Donovan suggested Alex Caruso, Patrick Williams and Lonzo Ball would return home to focus on rehab while the team heads to Detroit for a game Wednesday.
"We're trying to balance between them being with the team, interacting with those guys and keeping the personal connection, but also giving them the opportunity that they can ramp up and get back," Donovan said.
The Bulls are waiting for Caruso and Williams to be cleared for contact, which should happen soon, but hard to tell exactly when. Once they get the OK, both players should be ready to return relatively soon since they're recovering from wrist injuries and have been able to do plenty of conditioning.
Ball likely needs a couple more weeks to rehab from arthroscopic knee surgery.
No pain for LaVine:
Speaking of injuries, coach Billy Donovan described some of the issues Zach LaVine is dealing with. LaVine missed eight games in January and February with a sore left knee and is hoping a little maintenance before the all-star break will keep him going.
"I think the biggest thing that people need to understand about this, he is not dealing with pain," Donovan said. "That's not the issue. The issue is sometimes he gets some swelling, he gets some stiffness and tightness in there and he doesn't feel like he maybe has all the way his mobility, flexibility, explosiveness - that kind of stuff.
"I do think today he feels much, much better than he did before he did this (visited a specialist). The biggest question's going to be, can he feel this way until the end of the year?"
White's no heel:
Coby White appreciated North Carolina's victory at Duke on Saturday, but took no joy in his Tar Heels spoiling coach Mike Krzyzewski's final home game.
"No, congrats to him on the terrific career, but I was watching just because it's the best rivalry in sports," said White, who spent one season in Chapel Hill. "I really wasn't paying attention to anything else. I was just hoping we win the game.
"It was good, it was entertaining. We got a big win, fought til the end, we didn't give in a hostile environment, so I'm proud of the boys."
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