Lonzo Ball expected to see first action Wednesday

[Chi town]

Lonzo Ball was the most valuable player on the Bulls during the games he played in the 21-22 season.

Lonzo Ball was arguably the most impactful player per minute on the floor in his first game back in over 1000 days.

It’s hard to imagine he’s past all his major injuries but he’s his own kind of unicorn. 3 and D, guards 1-3 and sometimes 4's, floor general and gets everyone organized like only a handful of players in the league can, probably top 5 basketball IQ currently in the game, can be a primary ball handler or a floor spacer, only 26 years old.

If healthy, there is not one team in the league he could not improve in my opinion. I think the Bulls might have to consider extending him if he’s healthy through the next few months. He’s very grateful to them right now, would he take a 3 year extension with a team option on the 3rd for 15M or so a year. Worst case the Bulls eat 30 to 40 more mil when they are still bad to mediocre. Best case it’s one of the best contracts in the league. Probably would not take it but 30+ mil guaranteed when he wasn’t sure he’d ever play again is something, might feel like he owes them a team.

It would be a shame to see him sign a mid level somewhere else next year and not reap the rewards of the Bulls genuine patience and good will with him.

Enjoy his good play while we can and then cash him in at the deadline. He will def win us games but not enough to hurt our pick into the playin.

Must sell high. He is always injured. It will be something else soon. No way you can pay him a new contract.

Man, I love the way he plays though. Can see Zo to Buz lobs all day!

[WindyCityBorn]

Lonzo Ball was the most valuable player on the Bulls during the games he played in the 21-22 season.

Lonzo Ball was arguably the most impactful player per minute on the floor in his first game back in over 1000 days.

It’s hard to imagine he’s past all his major injuries but he’s his own kind of unicorn. 3 and D, guards 1-3 and sometimes 4's, floor general and gets everyone organized like only a handful of players in the league can, probably top 5 basketball IQ currently in the game, can be a primary ball handler or a floor spacer, only 26 years old.

If healthy, there is not one team in the league he could not improve in my opinion. I think the Bulls might have to consider extending him if he’s healthy through the next few months. He’s very grateful to them right now, would he take a 3 year extension with a team option on the 3rd for 15M or so a year. Worst case the Bulls eat 30 to 40 more mil when they are still bad to mediocre. Best case it’s one of the best contracts in the league. Probably would not take it but 30+ mil guaranteed when he wasn’t sure he’d ever play again is something, might feel like he owes them a team.

It would be a shame to see him sign a mid level somewhere else next year and not reap the rewards of the Bulls genuine patience and good will with him.

Enjoy his good play while we can and then cash him in at the deadline. He will def win us games but not enough to hurt our pick into the playin.

Must sell high. He is always injured. It will be something else soon. No way you can pay him a new contract.

Man, I love the way he plays though. Can see Zo to Buz lobs all day!

Seriously doubt Zo gets traded just for the sake of it. I fully expect him to play entire season here. And probably no more than 50 games on moderate minutes restrictions the entire time.

[madvillian]

Lonzo Ball was the most valuable player on the Bulls during the games he played in the 21-22 season.

Lonzo Ball was arguably the most impactful player per minute on the floor in his first game back in over 1000 days.

It’s hard to imagine he’s past all his major injuries but he’s his own kind of unicorn. 3 and D, guards 1-3 and sometimes 4's, floor general and gets everyone organized like only a handful of players in the league can, probably top 5 basketball IQ currently in the game, can be a primary ball handler or a floor spacer, only 26 years old.

If healthy, there is not one team in the league he could not improve in my opinion. I think the Bulls might have to consider extending him if he’s healthy through the next few months. He’s very grateful to them right now, would he take a 3 year extension with a team option on the 3rd for 15M or so a year. Worst case the Bulls eat 30 to 40 more mil when they are still bad to mediocre. Best case it’s one of the best contracts in the league. Probably would not take it but 30+ mil guaranteed when he wasn’t sure he’d ever play again is something, might feel like he owes them a team.

It would be a shame to see him sign a mid level somewhere else next year and not reap the rewards of the Bulls genuine patience and good will with him.

Enjoy his good play while we can and then cash him in at the deadline. He will def win us games but not enough to hurt our pick into the playin.

Must sell high. He is always injured. It will be something else soon. No way you can pay him a new contract.

Man, I love the way he plays though. Can see Zo to Buz lobs all day!

Seriously doubt Zo gets traded just for the sake of it. I fully expect him to play entire season here. And probably no more than 50 games on moderate minutes restrictions the entire time.

With the caveat that I don't think we're going to be mediocre, even with his contributions, if we are sitting at like 25-27 in February and the FO chooses to try and go for another bottom playoff seed rather than cash him in I'm going to be really annoyed. Zach and Lonzo should both be moved after recovering value. We need to complete the reboot.

[pylb]

It felt great to see him back in action, and he looked way better than I expected.

Guys are usually rusty after a few months out, never mind years, but he looked just fine out there. I like Ayo and Coby, but they're just not on the same level as far as passing/playmaking.

I hope he can have a healthy second half to his career.

[Red8911]

He looked good in his first game playing 15 min. His passing and shot is still there but to be honest he did look a lot slower. This was expected, even he said he isn’t the same as he was before and would have to change his game a bit.

His first step was a success, he got healthy and is back to playing games which was doubted by many people. Now let’s see if he can play at a high level again, stay healthy, will he be able to withstand the NBA schedule, or will he be sitting out all the time ?

[WindyCityBorn]

It felt great to see him back in action, and he looked way better than I expected.

Guys are usually rusty after a few months out, never mind years, but he looked just fine out there. I like Ayo and Coby, but they're just not on the same level as far as passing/playmaking.

I hope he can have a healthy second half to his career.

Hopefully he provides some good mentoring to Giddey. Very similar offensive skillset minus Lonzo’s elite 3 point shooting skills. Which he certainly didn’t have at Giddey’s age.

[WindyCityBorn]

He looked good in his first game playing 15 min. His passing and shot is still there but to be honest he did look a lot slower. This was expected, even he said he isn’t the same as he was before and would have to change his game a bit.

His first step was a success, he got healthy and is back to playing games which was doubted by many people. Now let’s see if he can play at a high level again, stay healthy, will he be able to withstand the NBA schedule, or will he be sitting out all the time ?

Well he already said back-to-back games are out of the question and he will be managed carefully all season. If he plays 50 games at 20 minutes a night at a high level that’s a huge success in my eyes.

[MGB8]

He looked good in his first game playing 15 min. His passing and shot is still there but to be honest he did look a lot slower. This was expected, even he said he isn’t the same as he was before and would have to change his game a bit.

His first step was a success, he got healthy and is back to playing games which was doubted by many people. Now let’s see if he can play at a high level again, stay healthy, will he be able to withstand the NBA schedule, or will he be sitting out all the time ?

You think he looked slower? Honestly, I didn’t think so - in fact, that was what surprised me the most, that he had bursts of pretty good acceleration and quickness around screens, etc. But that is judging only from highlights.

Anyway, his level of play really surprised me, but, while a challenge, the real obstacle is longevity - the ability to take the wear and grind without excess inflammation and even regression.

[Dan Z]

Lonzo Ball was the most valuable player on the Bulls during the games he played in the 21-22 season.

Lonzo Ball was arguably the most impactful player per minute on the floor in his first game back in over 1000 days.

It’s hard to imagine he’s past all his major injuries but he’s his own kind of unicorn. 3 and D, guards 1-3 and sometimes 4's, floor general and gets everyone organized like only a handful of players in the league can, probably top 5 basketball IQ currently in the game, can be a primary ball handler or a floor spacer, only 26 years old.

If healthy, there is not one team in the league he could not improve in my opinion. I think the Bulls might have to consider extending him if he’s healthy through the next few months. He’s very grateful to them right now, would he take a 3 year extension with a team option on the 3rd for 15M or so a year. Worst case the Bulls eat 30 to 40 more mil when they are still bad to mediocre. Best case it’s one of the best contracts in the league. Probably would not take it but 30+ mil guaranteed when he wasn’t sure he’d ever play again is something, might feel like he owes them a team.

It would be a shame to see him sign a mid level somewhere else next year and not reap the rewards of the Bulls genuine patience and good will with him.

Enjoy his good play while we can and then cash him in at the deadline. He will def win us games but not enough to hurt our pick into the playin.

Must sell high. He is always injured. It will be something else soon. No way you can pay him a new contract.

Man, I love the way he plays though. Can see Zo to Buz lobs all day!

Seriously doubt Zo gets traded just for the sake of it. I fully expect him to play entire season here. And probably no more than 50 games on moderate minutes restrictions the entire time.

I agree, but hopefully AKME thinks about the teams future and if there's a decent offer for Lonzo at the deadline then they should trade him.

What they shouldn't do is sign him to an extension.

[Rainwater]

It's crazy how good he looks given the surgeries he has had.

[WindyCityBorn]

So what do think is maximum minutes Ball will be allowed to play this season? Think he could ever get up to around 25 or more? Maybe the second half of the season if he stays healthy?

[WindyCityBorn]

Enjoy his good play while we can and then cash him in at the deadline. He will def win us games but not enough to hurt our pick into the playin.

Must sell high. He is always injured. It will be something else soon. No way you can pay him a new contract.

Man, I love the way he plays though. Can see Zo to Buz lobs all day!

Seriously doubt Zo gets traded just for the sake of it. I fully expect him to play entire season here. And probably no more than 50 games on moderate minutes restrictions the entire time.

I agree, but hopefully AKME thinks about the teams future and if there's a decent offer for Lonzo at the deadline then they should trade him.

What they shouldn't do is sign him to an extension.

I am not against him coming back on much cheaper contract if stays healthy and plays at a high level. No need to extend him. Just let it play out.

[Dan Z]

Seriously doubt Zo gets traded just for the sake of it. I fully expect him to play entire season here. And probably no more than 50 games on moderate minutes restrictions the entire time.

I agree, but hopefully AKME thinks about the teams future and if there's a decent offer for Lonzo at the deadline then they should trade him.

What they shouldn't do is sign him to an extension.

I am not against him coming back on much cheaper contract if stays healthy and plays at a high level. No need to extend him. Just let it play out.

I don't trust that he'll stay healthy even if he has a good year. With that in mind I think it's best to move on.

[WindyCityBorn]

I agree, but hopefully AKME thinks about the teams future and if there's a decent offer for Lonzo at the deadline then they should trade him.

What they shouldn't do is sign him to an extension.

I am not against him coming back on much cheaper contract if stays healthy and plays at a high level. No need to extend him. Just let it play out.

I don't trust that he'll stay healthy even if he has a good year. With that in mind I think it's best to move on.

I disagree if it’s a cheap deal.

[dougthonus]

I don't trust that he'll stay healthy even if he has a good year. With that in mind I think it's best to move on.

The procedures he had, effectively permanently replaced the muscles and cartilage in his knee. If he recovered successfully from them, I'm not sure there is so much risk in reinjury. This isn't like a shaved meniscus or even ACL tear in the sense that you are potentially permanently weakening the structure. The exceptionally long rehab period may have allowed him to strengthen everything appropriately too.

I wouldn't bet on everything being fine, but if he makes it through a full season staying healthy, I would no longer bet on him having issues related to this injury either.

[sco]

I don't trust that he'll stay healthy even if he has a good year. With that in mind I think it's best to move on.

The procedures he had, effectively permanently replaced the muscles and cartilage in his knee. If he recovered successfully from them, I'm not sure there is so much risk in reinjury. This isn't like a shaved meniscus or even ACL tear in the sense that you are potentially permanently weakening the structure. The exceptionally long rehab period may have allowed him to strengthen everything appropriately too.

I wouldn't bet on everything being fine, but if he makes it through a full season staying healthy, I would no longer bet on him having issues related to this injury either.

You made the key point. I will happily concede that, from a basketball perspective, I am pretty confident that he has returned to form. Health aside, just coming back to being able to play at an NBA level, is a tremendous feat. The next, and maybe bigger test, is whether his new parts, in conjunction with the rest of his body, are capable of withstanding the marathon of a full season, even at 20MPG. If he makes it though that gauntlet relatively unscathed, you can call me a believer...at least enough of one to try HARD to keep him. Anyone can see his all around game is special. Maybe we pay him a little extra if he can rebuild Giddey's shot.

[HomoSapien]

The truth is that at 26, a healthy Lonzo Ball is the best young prospect we have on the team. He just is. He's a superior prospect to Pat, Coby, and Giddey. Drafted higher than all of them too. It seems so hard to imagine that he's fully back and will be healthy, but he does basically have a new knee. And unlike Rose's return, he's come back basically looking and playing like his old self. He's also doing it without any fear... doesn't seem to be holding back.

AK's initial vision for building a team was centered around Ball, LaVine, and Vuc. That core still exists and though DDR became our figure head, he wasn't initially supposed to be. These guys don't want to rebuild. They've fought every instinct to do so. Even in the middle of a rebuild, they're refusing to call it one. If Ball continues to look good, we should all be prepared for that to dictate the direction of the team.

[sco]

The truth is that at 26, a healthy Lonzo Ball is the best young prospect we have on the team. He just is. He's a superior prospect to Pat, Coby, and Giddey. Drafted higher than all of them too. It seems so hard to imagine that he's fully back and will be healthy, but he does basically have a new knee. And unlike Rose's return, he's come back basically looking and playing like his old self. He's also doing it without any fear... doesn't seem to be holding back.

AK's initial vision for building a team was centered around Ball, LaVine, and Vuc. That core still exists and though DDR became our figure head, he wasn't initially supposed to be. These guys don't want to rebuild. They've fought every instinct to do so. Even in the middle of a rebuild, they're refusing to call it one. If Ball continues to look good, we should all be prepared for that to dictate the direction of the team.

If Ball makes it through the season healthy, I don't see much risk in keeping him. Also serves as insurance for Giddey not resigning.

[Chi town]

So what do think is maximum minutes Ball will be allowed to play this season? Think he could ever get up to around 25 or more? Maybe the second half of the season if he stays healthy?

Prob 25 and max is playing back to backs. He will need to play back to backs to get a new contact more than one year prove it deal for cheap.

[Dan Z]

I don't trust that he'll stay healthy even if he has a good year. With that in mind I think it's best to move on.

The procedures he had, effectively permanently replaced the muscles and cartilage in his knee. If he recovered successfully from them, I'm not sure there is so much risk in reinjury. This isn't like a shaved meniscus or even ACL tear in the sense that you are potentially permanently weakening the structure. The exceptionally long rehab period may have allowed him to strengthen everything appropriately too.

I wouldn't bet on everything being fine, but if he makes it through a full season staying healthy, I would no longer bet on him having issues related to this injury either.

He's been injury prone his entire career, so one year of health isn't going to be enough to convince me to sign him to a contract extension.

Plus, if he has a decently productive year I bet another team will offer him a deal that I don't think the Bulls should match.

On top of all this will Lonzo be ok being Giddeys backup? And should the Bulls invest a lot of money in one position (PG)...?