DeMar DeRozan has entered the NBA's health and safety protocols and is out for Monday's game against the Denver Nuggets, the Chicago Bulls said in its injury report Monday.
Head coach Billy Donovan told reporters pregame he "doesn't know yet" if DeRozan's entry into protocols is because of a positive test for COVID-19.
"This just transpired this afternoon, so I cannot really confirm and/or deny if it's a false positive, or is positive. I just don't know right now," Donovan said. "I think we'll be able to have maybe hopefully more news one way or another in the next day or so."
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DeRozan was a full participant in the Bulls' morning shootaround, then landed in protocols some time in the afternoon. Donovan said the Bulls are undergoing COVID-19 testing multiple times per day in light of Coby White (who tested positive on Wednesday), Javonte Green (who tested positive on Friday) and now DeRozan recently entering protocols.
DeRozan is the fourth Bulls player to enter protocols this season. Nikola Vučević tested positive for COVID-19 in early November and missed seven games.
Asked if he's heard any talk of the league possibly suspending games in light of the Bulls' outbreak — or other recent outbreaks within the Hornets and Nuggets — Donovan responded in the negative.
"I have not heard anything along those lines," he said. "I think the biggest question that comes up is if you have something that runs through a team and you have multiple players that are not able to compete is there enough players for the team to go out there and function? That was something that happened last year, where there was a lot of postponement of games.
NBA
"I do think the most important thing for our league is the health and safety of all the players and all the people that are involved. I think everybody, and I've said this before about our guys, have done a good job following and doing what we're asked to be done from the league and from the medical side. It's just this time of year there certainly has been a spike in this, but I have not heard anything as it relates to them going into a situation of shutting down the league for a period of time. I have not heard that."
The Bulls travel to Cleveland on Tuesday for a game against the Cavaliers on Wednesday. Donovan said before the Nuggets matchup he did not yet know if DeRozan would travel for the trip.