Chicago Bulls Guard Zach LaVine Won't Be Cleared for Contact Until November
With Dwyane Wade gone from the team, high-flying guard Zach LaVine will have to shoulder most of the scoring load for the Chicago Bulls next season. However, he's still recovering from the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in his left knee and he's not expected to play at the start of the season. In fact, Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg has revealed that he won't be taking contact until November.
"He's been a monster in the weight room, he's putting up a lot of weight, which shows the strength of that leg is probably where it needs to be. But as far as letting that graft fully mature, generally from what we understand from our doctors is it takes a full nine months. Which would put us really in the middle of November before he would be cleared for any type of contact, so I do think it's safe to say he won't be with us on opening night but he's making great progress," Hoiberg said after practice on Tuesday, via ESPN.
It's good to hear that LaVine has been making progress in his recovery and it sounds like he's actually ahead of schedule. However, his knee remains a cause for concern since he's the type of player who relies heavily on his athleticism to score.
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The Bulls are doing the right thing here by being cautious because they want to avoid bringing him back too soon after he had surgery. If the doctors say he should wait nine months for the knee to heal completely they should heed that advice.
LaVine tore the ACL in his left knee in a game against the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 3.
Meanwhile, forward Nikola Mirotić has officially signed a two-year, $27 million deal to stay with the Bulls. He will earn a guaranteed $12.5 million this season, while the second year is a team option.
