The Bulls, technically, have enough players to field a team. But the situation is far from ideal.
Chicago placed Zach LaVine and Troy Brown Jr. into COVID-19 protocol, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, bringing their total to nine players in protocol. They have nine eligible players on their roster — one above the minimum required to play a game — thanks to replacements they’ve signed.
DeMar DeRozan, Coby White, Matt Thomas, Javonte Green, Derrick Jones Jr., Ayo Dosunmu and Stanley Johnson are also in protocol. The Bulls got blown out by the Heat, 118-92, on Saturday.
Their entire roster is reportedly vaccinated.
“Maybe some of it’s because of the vaccination, we’ve got a lot of guys sitting at home with no symptoms right now,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan told reporters on Saturday. “That’s obviously a good thing, too, because I think when guys have gone through a real difficulty of getting really, really sick, it’s really made it a lot harder for them coming back.
“We do have some guys that have felt under the weather, we have some guys that have very, very mild symptoms and some guys that just don’t have any.
At 17-10, the Bulls are in third place in the East, but face the daunting task of trying to cobble together wins with a decimated roster. They’ve lost their past two, with the Pistons next up on Tuesday.
Players in COVID-19 protocol need to isolate for at least 10 days or test negative twice within 24 hours.
The Bulls have already signed Johnson and Alfonzo McKinnie with hardship exceptions, and can continue to sign players under the exception if need be.
