Bulls' Arturas Karnisovas 'hopeful' Lonzo Ball will be ready for training camp
The Bulls have been in a holding pattern with guard Lonzo Ball since he suffered a knee injury on Jan. 14, 2022.
Ball, who exercised his $21.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season, has expressed optimism about resuming his NBA career after missing two full seasons.
Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said Wednesday that Ball is “moving along” in his recovery process. The team continues to take a cautious approach.
“We don’t know what he’s going to look like in a month or two, so we’re just going to take one step at a time, and hopefully he’s going to be ready for training camp,” Karnisovas said.
Karnisovas said he has been in contact with Ball’s camp and that the two sides will chat next week. He also noted that Ball plans to be with the Bulls at Summer League from July 12-22 in Las Vegas.
The Bulls acquired guard Josh Giddey from the Thunder in part because of his ability to make his teammates better, a quality he shares with Ball. But because of Ball’s lack of availability, the team has lost the fast-paced, up-tempo style that served it well during the first half of the 2021-22 season.
Ball has been persistent about making a comeback. Karnisovas offered up a positive update regarding Ball’s recovery and confirmed that Ball is on track to begin five-on-five scrimmaging in August.
“He’s cleared to pretty much do everything on the court,” Karnisovas said. “We continue to strengthen him, and the next two months we’ll see what it’s going to look like.”
Ball is entering the last season of his four-year, $80 million contract he signed before the 2021-22 season.
Fortune-teller?
Before heading off to begin working with the Australian national team, Giddey said he spent a lot of time talking with Donovan in the few days he spent in Chicago.
It makes sense, considering Donovan always is looking to have a strong relationship with his point guard. But did Giddey inadvertently set the stage for more roster changes this summer when summarizing the talks he and Donovan shared?
‘‘I’ve met with Billy a bunch of times already, and he’s been unbelievable in the conversations we’ve had,’’ Giddey said. ‘‘But I understand the team that’s here, there are a lot of good guards. Ayo [Dosunmu], Coby [White], Dalen [Terry] — they have a lot of guys who can handle the rock.
‘‘I think it will make for good competition in training camp to push each other and make each other better. We’ll see what happens when the season comes around.’’
Not mentioned were Zach LaVine and Ball. Was that a slip-up or a sign of things to come? There’s no question the Bulls remain adamant about moving LaVine, but Ball’s future is cloudy, too.
All business
The Bulls’ crowded war room included chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and son Michael, as well as the usual suspects throughout the Bulls’ front office.
It was a much different atmosphere from last year, when the Bulls started the night without a pick before eventually trading into the second round and selecting forward Julian Phillips 35th overall.
Contributing: Joe Cowley