Finding a solution to the Chicago Bulls looming depth problem in the frontcourt rotation could be done internally or via trade.
Yet another unfortunate string of injuries in the frontcourt for the Chicago Bulls started earlier this month in a road loss to the Dallas Mavericks with center Wendell Carter Jr. A sprained ankle will hold Carter Jr. likely for at least another month. This is the second straight season where WCJ injured himself and could miss more than two months of game action.
The original diagnosis for WCJ was missing four or six weeks, but he could reportedly miss more than another month in recovering from his ankle sprain.
At least WCJ still seems confident that he could make a return back to full health well before the end of the 2019-20 regular season.
Wendell Carter Jr. (ankle sprain) could miss up to 6 wks but doesn’t want the tag as injury-prone. “It’s been tough knowing that I got hurt at this same point last year,” he told ESPN. “At the same time, I feel like it’s a good time for me to learn in my 2nd year in the league.” pic.twitter.com/iLh6bwPCeR
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) January 19, 2020
But then the Bulls lost another key piece of their frontcourt rotation when rookie center Daniel Gafford dislocated his thumb in a Jan. 15 win over the Washington Wizards at home.
Missing both Gafford and WCJ creates a gaping hole in the Bulls center rotation that will be difficult to patch up. Beyond head coach Jim Boylen moving power forward Lauri Markkanen to the five and getting center Luke Kornet more playing time in a more beneficial role than he was in before, there’s not much that can be done.
Year in and year out, the Bulls manage to get nearly all of their key forwards and centers injured at some point. At least that’s how it feels. And even when bigs like Markkanen are in the rotation, it feels like they’re holding something back or aren’t at full health.
Granted we know that Markkanen’s not at full health at the moment since he sprained his ankle earlier this month. That should slow him down to some degree.
Anyhow, here’s a look into the three possible solutions for head coach Jim Boylen and the Chicago Bulls to patch the frontcourt depth problem for the next couple weeks.