CLEVELAND — Bulls guard Lonzo Ball missed his 19th consecutive game with an injured right wrist Tuesday night, but there’s still an opening — albeit a rapidly closing one — for him to return to action for the Bulls before the regular season ends.
Coach Billy Donovan said Ball also will miss Wednesday night’s home game against the Heat. The Bulls have two regular-season games left after that, against the Wizards on Friday and the 76ers on Sunday.
If Ball starts to feel better and more confident with the follow-through on his shot and his passing, Donovan was all for using him in the Play-In Tournament.
“I think he’s able to keep up with the conditioning part, so I’m fine with putting him in there, but I would say that I’m watching him closely,” Donovan said. “[Since] he has not played very much, if he’s not playing very well out there and I don’t feel like he’s helping us, I would not have a problem [pulling him].”
Injuries to Ball, Tre Jones and Ayo Dosunmu have turned what once had been a logjam in the backcourt into a short-handed situation, and it’s starting to feel as though Jones won’t be available to help. With Josh Giddey and Coby White taking on more minutes in the last month — White has averaged 35.2 per game since mid-March — Donovan would like to take advantage if Ball can return.
“It would be nice to throw him in there, see what he looks like, and if not, get him off the court,” Donovan said. “But I would give him that opportunity if he’s there.”
All that said, Ball didn’t participate in the Bulls’ morning shootaround before they faced the Cavaliers.
“Nothing has really changed,” Donovan said. “[Ball’s situation] has gotten better, but I don’t think it’s gotten to a point where he feels he can go out there and shoot the basketball like he needs to and probably pass the ball, so never mind the defensive part with his hands. I don’t think he wants to take anything away from guys minutes-wise, and I also don’t think he wants to feel like he’s putting the team in a situation where he feels like he’s not able to perform like he expects himself to.”
Malone news hits close to home
Like most of the NBA on Tuesday, Donovan was shocked to learn that Nuggets coach Michael Malone was fired.
Malone, like Donovan, grew up in New York, and the two have shared that bond through the years.
“There’s a personal relationship with Mike because we grew up together,” Donovan said. “Obviously, there’s an age separation, but [it was] the same neighborhood, the same area, so part of me feels bad that it got to that point because he did a great job. I think the biggest thing is, with three games left to play, no disrespect to anybody on [the Nuggets’] staff or in the organization, [but] he’s taken them to a championship. He knows the group probably better than anybody.
“Certainly as a coach, I have an enormous amount of respect for him. I consider him a friend. I feel bad for him, I think the guy did an amazing job from the time he was there.”
Wrong time to take it easy
The Cavaliers could have used Tuesday to rest players, but Donovan Mitchell (sprained right ankle) was the only one they kept out. It made sense, considering what was at stake. With their 135-113 win, the Cavs locked up the No. 1 seed in the East and home court throughout the conference playoffs.
