Coaches learn juggling acts
The Bulls were hit earlier and harder by health and safety absences than most teams around the NBA with 10 players being out at some point during a COVID outbreak throughout the team and organization. The NBA postponed two games last week when the Bulls did not have enough players available to play.
Even Monday, when the Bulls faced the Rockets, there were still six players in health and safety protocols.
With the numbers of players declared out escalating around the NBA, it might indicate that success this season could be in large measures be determined by how teams handle absences and frequently changing lineups.
“I think that’s going to be really, really critical because you’re going to have the flow and the rhythm of teams that maybe have built up some of that that’s going to be kind of broken apart a little bit,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “In a lot of ways, you’re starting over. I think the one thing that people don’t understand with all this (is) when you take a player out for 12 days, two weeks, … it’s a lot harder when a player comes back than when a player goes out.
“When you have a good player coming back, a lot of times they’re not where they were before they went out. It takes time to get that back. It takes time to get a rhythm. That’s why I thought what DeMar (DeRozan) did (Sunday) night was so remarkable. To be able to go back in and do what he did was incredible.”
DeRozan scored 38 points, including 19 in the fourth quarter, in the Bulls’ win against the Lakers. His ability to pick up where he left off could make him the exception, though important to the Bulls with fellow star Zach LaVine still out.
Roughly two thirds of NBA teams have players out in health and safety protocols. The Rockets do not have any, with testing around the league to be increased this week.
Among the Rockets, only guard D.J. Augustin, who missed two games after producing an inconclusive test, has missed time this season.
“It’s going to be a big part,” coach Stephen Silas said. “Hopefully, it’s going to be a short-term thing for the teams that are going through it, like a 10-day thing, unlike injuries which could be four to six weeks and you have to deal with it.
“It’s just another layer on top of injuries, which when you go through them, you have to figure things out, figure out playing groups, figure out lineups and recover from those. Adding this on top of that makes it tough. But I hope that it won’t be a long-term thing.”
Time off helps Wood with knee
After sitting out two games with tendinitis in his left knee, Rockets center Christian Wood said the days off and treatment have taken care of the problem and that he has had no issues since returning and playing 30 minutes against the Pistons on Saturday and 29 minutes Monday against the Bulls.
“(The swelling) has been going down and I’ve been getting with the training staff and they’ve taken care of it,” Wood said. “A little tendinitis. It’s fine. It comes and goes.”
Wood said he had been “playing through” issues with the knee for several games, but it especially flared up last week against the Hawks in Atlanta when he had 12 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes before sitting out the entire fourth quarter.
Rockets guard Armoni Brooks, who missed Saturday’s game in Detroit and the second half of Thursday’s game against the Knicks in Houston with a sore left ankle, returned to play Monday night against the Bulls.