LaVine joins Bulls’ sitting wounded
Excuse coach Fred Hoiberg if he takes a few minutes to search his office for voodoo dolls or black cats.
At least that might explain the bad luck that has befallen his lineup a month into the regular season.
Already down Lauri Markkanen (right elbow), Kris Dunn (left knee), Bobby Portis (right knee) and Denzel Valentine (left ankle), the Bulls lost leading scorer Zach LaVine for the time being because of an illness.
LaVine, who leads the Bulls in scoring at 25.3 points per game (11th in the NBA), came down with flu symptoms late Thursday night. Hoiberg said LaVine battled through it Friday against the Bucks, scoring only 15 points and shooting 6-for-20 from the field.
“His symptoms got worse overnight,’’ Hoiberg said.
‘‘I saw him a couple of hours ago at the Advocate Center as we were putting our game plan together for the game [Saturday against the Raptors]. You could tell he wasn’t doing well, so we decided the smart thing to do was to sit him.’’
The decision was an easy one because the Bulls don’t play again until Wednesday night and Toronto also was resting players, specifically Kawhi Leonard.
With LaVine out, Hoiberg turned to former starting point guard Cameron Payne, who was barely getting minutes after losing his job to Ryan Arcidiacono.
“Everybody has had opportunities,’’ Hoiberg said. “That’s one of the reasons we decided to go with Cam. He’s been a starter. I think he’s had 11 starts, and ‘Archi’ is kind of a utility guy out there who can play off the ball.’’
The good news for Hoiberg was that LaVine was expected to be ready by Wednesday.
That was about the only positive news Hoiberg has received from the injury front lately.
Markkanen continued to work before the game against the Raptors, but the timetable isn’t budging forward, and he’s still at least a week away from being cleared for contact.
The organization is insisting that it will be cautious with Markkanen even when he starts practicing and taking contact.
Valentine remained “out indefinitely,’’ and Dunn and Portis are at least a month away from practicing.
Pointing the finger
Swingman Justin Holiday did what a vet is supposed to do: accept responsibility for the Bulls’ frequent defensive lapses. He insisted that his assignment is usually the opposing team’s best scorer, so if there’s slippage, he’s OK with taking the blame.
“Last year, I usually guarded the best player on the other team,’’ Holiday said. “I pride myself 100 percent on that. That’s my job, and I do my job well. I want to have the best player on the other team, the guy that’s their scorer. That’s what I do; that’s what I’m made to do.’’
The bad news for the Bulls is that Holiday will be a free agent after the season, and there are few in-house options who can take over the “stopper’’ role if he goes elsewhere.