LaVine to visit specialist for lingering knee soreness originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Zach LaVine will visit a specialist in Los Angeles this week to seek further clarity on lingering soreness in his left knee, sources confirmed to NBC Sports Chicago.
An MRI exam performed last month revealed no structural damage in the Chicago Bulls' All-Star guard's knee. LaVine tore an ACL in the same knee in February 2017 when he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
LaVine's recent MRI exam came on Jan. 15, the morning after he exited a home contest against the Golden State Warriors after playing just four minutes. LaVine then missed the next five games.
LaVine also sat out the second game of a back-to-back set on Saturday night after playing 37 minutes in Friday's home victory over the Timberwolves, but clearly not looking like himself. He even winced upon landing following one dunk.
Following that game, LaVine exited the United Center in good spirts with former teammate — and soon to be All-Star teammate — Karl-Anthony Towns.
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But LaVine has been battling soreness and swelling in the knee since early January. And with the situation not fully improving, the two-time All-Star guard and pending unrestricted free agent is seeking solutions.
"He's obviously dealing with knee soreness. We want to manage that as best we can," coach Billy Donovan said before Saturday's game. "We had basically talked about trying to limit his back-to-back opportunities to kind of give his knee a chance to rest. But we're probably going to end up going day-to-day with him just to see how he's feeling. We're gonna certainly be cautious with him and see how he responds to treatment."
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LaVine also sat out two recent games with back spasms. Donovan said on Saturday that those are resolved.
"There's certain things, like when he was dealing with that ligament issue in his hand earlier in the year, it was something that he could play with that probably wasn't gonna get any worse. It was just him dealing with the discomfort," Donovan said, citing LaVine's decision to play through a small ligament tear in his thumb. "But if it's a situation where he's dealing with something that is going to create longer-term issues or problems, I would say he's very, very smart and knows his body pretty well. But at the heart of it, yeah, he wants to play."
LaVine is in line for a maximum contract extension this offseason worth upwards of $200 million. Voted to his second straight All-Star game as a coaches' reserve, he also recently accepted an invitation to the 3-point Shootout at All-Star weekend in Cleveland. As of now, LaVine is planning to attend All-Star weekend.
LaVine is averaging 24.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the Bulls, who sit one game outside the Eastern Conference lead with two games remaining until the All-Star break. LaVine is likely to miss both games, though it's possible he could return for Wednesday's pre-break finale against the Sacramento Kings.
ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news of LaVine's imminent specialist visit.
The Bulls have been decimated by injuries this season. Derrick Jones Jr. returned from his fractured finger on Friday night, but Lonzo Ball (meniscus tear), Alex Caruso (fractured wrist) and Patrick Williams (torn wrist ligaments) all are currently sidelined following surgeries. Donovan has expressed confidence that the Bulls will be fully whole by season's end.
But LaVine's lingering knee soreness raises more questions on whether that will be true.
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