Lonzo Ball’s post flashes hope, but Bulls’ Billy Donovan offers reality

If the Bulls get thrown into the middle of an octagon anytime soon, Lonzo Ball might be their guy.

Unfortunately, the organization is still in the business of playing basketball, which means don’t start holding the breath on a Ball return just yet.

There was a definite buzz on Friday, after Ball (two left knee surgeries) took to his Instagram account and posted videos of him dunking a basketball, doing some box jumps, running on a treadmill, and boxing.

Coach Billy Donovan, however, put some perspective on the entire situation, playing the role of damp towel on the spark.

“I saw them,” Donovan said of the posts. “I think like I told you guys he has progressed. The unfortunate part is I think you’re seeing a lot of the things that I was told. Those are things that maybe six weeks ago he couldn’t do. As much as they’re little steps, it’s still progress that he’s continuing to make.

“I think the idea of running and cutting and sprinting and doing it day after day after day, where he’s at in terms of right now of getting to that point, that’s where the timetable becomes really difficult. But things you saw him do, he wasn’t able to do. So it’s progress. It’s just really, really slow.”

And progress that Donovan said still comes with discomfort. The good news was the discomfort might have been “a seven or eight” six weeks ago – with 10 being the most painful – and now it’s a “two or three doing some of those things.”

As Donovan pointed out, however, until there’s actual sustained running, cutting, and jumping, and with minimal discomfort, a timetable is a pipedream.

That’s why the Bulls find themselves in such a tough spot as the Feb. 9 trade deadline approaches. There’s definite holes to fill – outside shooting, rebounding, pace – but Ball fills all three. Does the organization stay patient and rely on hope or do they go out and at least try and add a piece that could help in one or two of those departments?

That’s why being buyers gets so tricky.

How many assets do they really want to give up when they have a player already in the building that covers up many of their problems?

“I think Lonzo’s been out for so long, we’ve just kind of gotten accustomed to playing without him,” Donovan replied, when asked that very question. “I think it was pretty significant the impact he had on our team when he was out there playing.

“I have not had any conversations at all with [executive vice president of basketball operations] Arturas [Karnisovas] and [general manager] Marc [Eversley]. Like we talk all the time … I haven’t gotten into any of those conversations like, ‘Listen Lonzo’s out, starting point guard, Ayo [Dosunmu’s] kind of played that spot. Do we need another point guard to come in here, do we need shooting?’ I think those are probably conversations they’re having right now leading up to this.”

Coincidentally, Saturday will mark the one year anniversary of the last game Ball played for the Bulls. Another reason why Donovan was very reserved in his enthusiasm.

“When you’re out a year, whenever he gets back to playing … There’s going to be an adjustment period,” Donovan said. “How long that is? I don’t know, but there’s certainly going to be a period of time before they ever allow him back to play that they feel comfortable that he can endure what an NBA schedule looks like.”

NOTE: Bulls radio play-by-play announcer Chuck Swirsky was honored after the first quarter of the Oklahoma City game, as a video montage was played on the scoreboard in honor of his 2,000th broadcast of an NBA game.

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