Hutchison hopes cortisone shot will help shoulder
It's easy to write off a player as injury-prone, much tougher for that player to deal with a situation he can't control.
Bulls forward Chandler Hutchison spoke Friday about this latest setback, an aggravation of the right shoulder injury that kept him out for six weeks.
Since returning from that injury, Hutchison had been playing relatively well, averaging 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in the 10 games before the all-star break. But he reinjured the shoulder against Washington on Feb. 11.
"The Wizards game I got banged up quite a bit chasing (Davis) Bertrans around screens," he said. "I was getting clipped left and right. I had a pretty big block with my right arm that kind of jammed everything up. I wasn't even able to finish the game the last 4 or 5 minutes."
Hutchison was hoping the shoulder would feel better with a week of rest during the break. It didn't, so he got a cortisone shot and is looking to get back on the court soon.
"I've had success before with the shot," he said. "That was something that gave me relief originally when this thing happened. I was able to play 20 games or so after that."
Hutchison said he'd been relatively injury-free during his basketball life. But since joining the Bulls, he missed the last 33 games of his rookie season with a toe injury, then there was a hamstring strain in preseason and the shoulder, which first happened when he was hit by a screen at Golden State on Nov. 27.
He was asked if surgery in the offseason is a consideration.
"It's been brought up," he said. "It's something as a last resort kind of deal. Right now, I'm hoping that with rest it's something I can get to a point where it heals on its own."
Injury list grows:
The Bulls' injury list grew Friday instead of getting smaller. Center Luke Kornet sprained his left ankle in practice and is listed as doubtful for Saturday's home game against Phoenix. Kornet has started the last 14 games at center.
Coach Jim Boylen said Wendell Carter Jr. (ankle), Otto Porter (foot) and Denzel Valentine (hamstring) did full contact 3-on-3 at Friday's practice. Porter and Valentine are listed as out on the injury report, with Carter doubtful.
"In the morning we'll see how guys feel and then you add to that or maybe you hold off and let them rest." Boylen said. "So we'll figure that out."
Boylen said it's likely the Bulls will add two-way player Adam Mokoka to the active roster Saturday.
Bulls rescheduled in LA:
The Bulls' schedule was shuffled to accommodate the Lakers-Clippers makeup game. They were supposed to play the Lakers and Clippers on back-to-back nights at the Staples Center on April 7 and 8. The new schedule has the Bulls playing the Clippers on Monday, April 6, and the Lakers on Wednesday, April 8.
The Clippers and Lakers postponed their game Jan. 28, two days after the helicopter accident that killed Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others. The Clippers-Lakers game will be played Thursday, April 9, and televised by TNT.