Forgive and forget? Caruso just trying to move on from broken wrist
Alex Caruso answered all the typical questions after his first official practice with the Bulls since breaking his right wrist.
How does he feel? Good. When will he play again? Maybe Saturday against Cleveland, maybe later.
But there is one lingering issue. Caruso hadn't spoken to reporters since postgame on Jan. 21 in Milwaukee, when he thought he avoided catastrophe by emerging intact from the flagrant foul by Bucks guard Grayson Allen.
Caruso returned to the game that night, but an X-ray the following morning told a different story. Caruso would need surgery on a broken right wrist and has missed 22 games since then.
So how does he feel about Allen's foul now? Caruso was hit in the air as he was going up for a dunk and pushed to the floor. A conveyor of controversy since his days at Duke, Allen was suspended one game by the NBA for the infraction.
"No, no anger," Caruso said Friday at the Advocate Center. "I'm over it. I can't do anything to change it. The only thing I can do is figure out how I'm going to get better, how I'm going to get the team better, how we can win games.
"The six weeks was pretty frustrating, just not being out there with the guys, and seeing them win a handful of games in a row, lose a handful of games in a row, the emotions of the season go up and down. So for me it was just about trying to compartmentalize all that, focus on what I can control and kind of just get back to hoops."
Caruso also said he's never heard from Allen since that night. The Bulls and Bucks crossed paths again last Friday without incident, unless you count the less violent flagrant foul by Derrick Jones Jr. against Allen.
After the game on Jan. 21, both Caruso and Bulls coach Billy Donovan expressed anger over the foul and Allen in general. At Duke, Allen was notorious for tripping opposing players and the reputation followed him to the NBA.
"He is who he is, I am who I am, people are who they are," Caruso said. "I don't know him that well. The only thing I know is from past history and instances, so that's all I can really go off of.
"I really don't know too much what you're supposed to do in that case and situation in the NBA, you know, if there's unwritten rules about it. But I think people are who they are and you can't really change that."
Caruso said there's no timetable for when he'll return to game action. It sounded like it's conceivable he could play Saturday when the Bulls host Cleveland, but the official line is the Bulls will see how it feels tomorrow, then go through shootaround and see how that feels and then decide.
Shooting around with teammates at the end of practice, Caruso was seen hitting 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range, so his wrist is functioning.
"Held up well," he said of the wrist. "Wasn't really too sore today. Still not perfect. It's not 100 percent healed. But the bone is healed and the only soreness and stiffness is just soft tissue stuff that's healing from surgery. I feel like I'm in a good spot. We'll see how everything progresses."
Patrick Williams participated in Friday's practice, but still isn't ready for full contact. He's been out since Oct. 28 recovering from left wrist surgery. Lonzo Ball continues to rehab from arthroscopic knee surgery and appears to be a few weeks away from returning.
Zach LaVine sat out practice to rest his left knee, which has caused him to miss eight games since January. LaVine and Caruso are listed a questionable for the Cleveland game. Nikola Vucevic (right hamstring strain) and Ayo Dosunmu (left adductor strain) are listed as probable.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports