The Bulls lost Luol Deng last season late and a short-term injury wound up costing him the rest of the year. This year Deng suffered a much less severe injury, a strained calf, but is still having trouble getting back on the floor. The Bulls thought Deng might be back by Saturday, but after tweaking his leg Wednesday, the Chicago Tribune reports Deng could be out longer.
The Bulls can’t afford more lingering issues. They’ve been starting Acie Law (the IV, mind you), Chris Richard, and other weird replacement players in the midst of their epidemic of injuries.They’re still trying to make the playoffs to show potential free agents that they aren’t a complete mess, but without Deng, this could get tricky.
These leg muscle injuries can linger. You’ll remember KG having problems earlier in the season that were unrelated to his knee injuries.
Deng was the Bulls’ primary scorer when Derrick Rose was struggling earlier in the season. Without them, they have next to no scoring. Derrick Rose is the most important injury the Bulls have to deal with, but Deng’s may end up costing the Bulls the playoffs regardless.
