With Zach LaVine officially headed to an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee at some point this offseason, it's an opportune time to reflect on some big-picture aspects to the overall situation.
The Athletic and Stadium reported on Thursday that the long-expected procedure would occur "in the coming weeks." This comes on the heels of the Chicago Sun-Times reporting in late April that LaVine would have surgery "almost immediately after the playoffs." A source told NBC Sports Chicago that LaVine is on board with his medical team's plan.
In his final media session with reporters in late April, LaVine said he planned to re-visit the same doctor who performed his left ACL surgery in 2017 and who he visited in early February for temporary relief that included platelet-rich plasma therapy, a cortisone injection and fluid drained.
LaVine underwent an MRI on the knee on Jan. 15, which the Chicago Bulls said "revealed no significant structural damage." Obviously, LaVine played 29 regular-season and four postseason games on the ailing knee after that MRI exam and openly talked about how it affected him.
But executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas said in his season-ending media session with reporters in late April that he didn't envision the knee situation affecting negotiations when LaVine hits unrestricted free agency in July and reiterated his desire to retain the two-time All-Star guard.
“I hope he’s here for a long time,” Karnišovas said of LaVine. “We have a really good relationship with him. The last two years have been the best years of his career, so we’ll see what happens.’’
This echoed comments that Bulls president and chief operating officer Michael Reinsdorf made in late February---after LaVine had visited his doctor with Bulls medical personnel in attendance.
NBA
“My hope is that he’s here for years to come,” Reinsdorf told NBC Sports Chicago. “And Zach knows how we feel about him.”
Finally, LaVine not only played through this nagging knee situation but also a torn ligament in his left thumb earlier in the season. Not all players would make that same choice, particularly in a contract year before an offseason that will net LaVine a contract potentially worth north of $200 million.
"And I hope people understand that," LaVine said. "And I think that’s the sacrifices that we made. Guys on the team were dealing with a lot of stuff as well. I think mine started to become a little more public. But I care about basketball a lot. Basketball’s my life. I care about the guys in the locker room and on the team, the coaches, the training staff, everybody. We put so much into it. And so do I. I don’t want to miss games when I can go out there and still be productive and play.
"It might not be at 100 percent. But I can still go out there and help DeMar (DeRozan), help Vooch (Nikola Vučević), help Lonzo (Ball) with me just being on the court. It showed because we were able to still win games. I don’t feel like if I went and got surgery on my thumb at the beginning of the season or I shut it down at All-Star break and got surgery, whatever it would have been, I don’t think we would have had the same year. I don’t think it would have been as satisfying.
"Sometimes you’ve got to play through things to really see the grit in the team or to see the value. I’m happy with the year. I’m happy that I battled through injuries. Regardless of the contract, I think you guys see where my mindset is and the type of player I am. I’m a fighter."
These words from LaVine should resonate. He made the conscious decision to play through his balky knee situation because he knew the Bulls were headed to his first-ever NBA playoff appearance and he wanted to maximize the experience for himself and for his teammates, coaches and franchise.
Just as the upcoming knee procedure is expected to clean up LaVine's lingering issues, his decision should clear up any lingering misperception about LaVine. He'll get paid this summer, for sure. But his love for the game isn't going anywhere.