More bad news for Bulls: Dunn out 4-6 weeks with knee sprain
Just when the injury news was supposed to get better for the Bulls, it got a lot worse.
Point guard Kris Dunn suffered a moderate sprain of the MCL in his left knee during Monday's loss in Dallas and will be out four to six weeks, coach Fred Hoiberg said.
The Bulls are already playing without Lauri Markkanen, who is expected back in mid-November from a right elbow sprain, and Denzel Valentine, who missed all of the preseason with a left ankle injury and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Dunn missed the first two games of the season due to the birth of his son, so he made his season debut Monday. Dunn finished with 9 points, 7 assists and 4 turnovers in 30 minutes of action. He hit 4 of 13 shots from the field and fouled out with 1:36 left.
"It's tough. We obviously missed Kris in our first two games," Hoiberg said Tuesday at the Advocate Center. "Now to have him out of the lineup for an extended period, it's extremely difficult. When you have a guy who really made strides over the course of last season and the summer he had and the way he played during training camp, it's difficult to miss him."
Hoiberg found out the news only a couple minutes before relaying it to reporters. Dunn suffered the injury during the course of the game and felt he could continue playing. After the game, he was examined by a Mavericks team doctor, who recommended an MRI.
"It happened from what I understand in the second quarter," Hoiberg said. "He was going in for a layup over (Mavs center DeAndre) Jordan. He said he felt fine. He was evaluated and was able to finish the game. He was evaluated after the game. And as a precaution, they suggested an MRI. And that's what it revealed."
The Bulls were counting on Dunn to be a catalyst for the team's expected improvement. Instead, they'll likely go back to how they started the regular season, with Cameron Payne starting and Ryan Arcidiacono playing backup minutes.
Now there's a third name in the mix, since the Bulls signed former Suns point guard Shaquille Harrison Sunday, and they still have two-way player Tyler Ulis available as needed.
Payne scored 17 points Saturday against Detroit, matching his highest point total since joining the Bulls. Payne returned to a reserve role against Dallas, producing 6 points and 2 assists in 18 minutes. Arcidiacono and Harrison did not see action against the Mavs.
"We're thankful we recently picked up Shaq Harrison, who is going to have to most likely get some minutes and see what he has and if he has a future with this organization," Hoiberg said. "Cam had his best game of maybe his career a couple games ago against Detroit. He has some things he can build on.
"The biggest thing at that position is you have to get us organized at both ends of the floor. That's where Kris had taken a big step in the right direction with that. Arcidiacono is one of the better communicators and hardest-playing guys on our team. We've got guys who have some starting experience. It's big shoes to fill. But I'm confident our guys will give great effort."
The Bulls have a busy week ahead. They host Charlotte Wednesday, then a road trip to Charlotte and Atlanta, before two-time defending champion Golden State pays an early visit Monday.
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