Just as it was looking like second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls were getting out of the woods in terms of injury problems, the bug bit them again in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on the road on the night of Jan. 21. The Bulls saw defensive standout point guard Alex Caruso come up with a wrist injury in the loss to the Bucks this weekend.
Caruso was brought down on a play that would see the Bucks’ shooting guard Grayson Allen get called on a flagrant 2 foul. Caruso had a clear shot at the rim and Allen brought him down with both hands. That would result in Caruso getting injured.
Not only that, but Caruso could also miss nearly two months with a wrist injury. This is very consequential for the Bulls as the team just got Caruso back from a hamstring injury and the league’s health and safety protocol earlier this week.
NBA looking into a suspension for Grayson Allen after his hard foul on Chicago Bulls’ G Alex Caruso
This play from Allen is reportedly (per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports on Twitter on Jan. 22) under review from the NBA’s office to see whether he deserves a suspension. But the league’s office has also reportedly made “no decision as of yet”.
The league office is reviewing the flagrant foul from Milwaukee’s Grayson Allen that resulted in a broken wrist for Alex Caruso, sources tell @YahooSports. No decision as of yet
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) January 22, 2022
The Caruso injury news is really unfortunate for him and the Bulls. He provided this team with a serious spark upon his return to the lineup earlier this week. Now, it will be near the end of the regular season in all likelihood when Caruso returns for the Bulls.
Wrote this last night. I’m told several Bulls were upset about Allen never checking on Caruso. pic.twitter.com/19i7q69GrN
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 22, 2022
This isn’t the first time that Allen sat in the midst of a controversy stemming from a potential dirty play or cheapshot that he had. That also goes back to his days with the Duke Blue Devils in college.
It will be interesting to see what the league decides to do with this Allen situation. There is clearly a lot of outrage pertaining to this situation from the Bulls’ side. But the league hasn’t acted too quickly on this matter either.
Following their loss to the Bucks on Jan. 21, Caruso and the Bulls are now sitting on a record of 28-16. Next up for the Bulls is a meeting with the Orlando Magic on the road on Jan. 23.