{"id":78714,"date":"2024-05-24T17:05:42","date_gmt":"2024-05-24T21:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=78714"},"modified":"2024-05-24T17:05:42","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T21:05:42","slug":"bulls-lonzo-ball-secret-behind-latest-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/24\/bulls-lonzo-ball-secret-behind-latest-surgery\/","title":{"rendered":"Bulls Star Explains Secret Behind Latest Surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Having solved the riddle of complex knee injury that\u2019s kept him sidelined since 2022, Chicago Bulls guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/balllo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lonzo Ball<\/a> is <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/14\/bulls-former-no-2-pick-makes-eye-popping-announcement\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">gearing up for a return<\/a> to the court in 2024-25.<\/p>\n<p>Appearing on his podcast, <em>What An Experience<\/em>, the 6-foot-6 playmaker delves into the mystery of tricky meniscus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo make a long story short,\u201d Ball begins, \u201cultimately, it started with a meniscus tear. It basically started on the (Los Angeles) Lakers when I tore it the first time. I tore it a couple more times to a point to where there was no more meniscus left and bone-on-bone was rubbing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo the cartilage was gone and the bone was messed up,\u201d he explains, revealing that he \u201chad to get new meniscus from a donor.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZO2_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@ZO2_<\/a> breaks down his injury for the first time. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Igl7qjS2Vi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Igl7qjS2Vi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The WAE Show (@TheWAEShow) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheWAEShow\/status\/1794037972737884270?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">May 24, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had to get a bone allograft and I had to get some new cartilage put in as well,\u201d Ball adds. \u201cAll that healed up and I\u2019m back on the court now.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Ball\u2019s Health Is Key<\/h3>\n<p>In regard to what he calls a \u201cwasted year,\u201d the 26-year-old insists that the problem was \u201ctrying to figure out what the problem was.\u201d That said, there concerns that the injury simply <em>wasn\u2019t<\/em> healing. As a result, his coloring in-between the lines helps instill confidence in his future availability. Nonetheless, until he steps on the court, nobody knows what will happen.<\/p>\n<p>The Bulls need him healthy though.<\/p>\n<p>With the 11th overall pick in the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/12\/nba-mock-draft-4-0-post-draft-lottery\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">2024 NBA Draft<\/a>, they could draft USC point guard <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/06\/isaiah-collier-2024-nba-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Isaiah Collier<\/a>. A big-bodied floor general with a well-rounded game, Collier was the best player in the country coming out of high school. However, point guard is one of the most difficult positions to transition to at the NBA level. He\u2019d likely need time to adjust.<\/p>\n<p>Former top-10 pick <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/whiteco01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Coby White<\/a> stepped up in 2023-24 with 19.1 points and 5.1 assists per game. Nonetheless, he\u2019s neither the facilitator nor defender that Ball is. At 6-foot-5, he has enough length to play beside Ball in the backcourt though.<\/p>\n<p>To that point, with star guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lavinza01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zach LaVine<\/a>\u00a0on the trade block, Chicago may have his replacement on the roster.<\/p>\n<p>White is a great 3-point shooter and can heat up quickly. Seven-year veteran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/carusal01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Caruso<\/a> is a stellar defender and efficient from outside. Due to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/dosunay01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ayo <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/dosunay01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dosunmu<\/a>\u2019s size, defense and post-All-Star Break development, he\u2019s a viable option as well.<\/p>\n<h3>Frontcourt Fixes<\/h3>\n<p>If Ball can play, the Bulls will have a clearer view to focus of their frontcourt needs. Even if they re-sign <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/carusal01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DeMar DeRozan<\/a>, and there\u2019s no guarantee they will, their big man unit needs tinkering. However, if Ball is dishing, swishing, and picking up opposing point guards, the type of bigs they\u2019re looking for could be different.<\/p>\n<h3>Rui or Randle?<\/h3>\n<p>Considering LaVine\u2019s rumored suitors, players like Lakers forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hachiru01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rui Hachimura<\/a> should be targeted. An athletic multipositional defender and three-level scorer, he\u2019s potentially a long-term solution for the Bulls\u2019 power forward spot. After nearly two years as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a>\u2019 understudy, the 26-year-old is primed for a breakout.<\/p>\n<p>However, given DeRozan\u2019s plea the Bulls to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/04\/20\/bulls-generational-scorer-demar-derozan-impassioned-plea-front-office\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">get him help<\/a> and LaVine\u2019s star status, they may be able to swing a trade for New York Knicks forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/randlju01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Julius Randle<\/a>. Randle isn\u2019t as adept a defender as Hachimura. However, though both he and Hachimura are able to rain in buckets from anywhere within the hashes, he\u2019s a far more proven scorer.<\/p>\n<p>LaVine\u2019s injury history depreciates his value in a potential trade. Nonetheless, Randle\u2019s own issues with durability makes this a more balanced transaction than it seems on the surface. Furthermore, stylistically, LaVine\u2019s a great fit beside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brunsja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Brunson<\/a> in the halfcourt with his 3-point shooting. He also takes a lot of pressure off of the Knicks star due to his ball-handling ability and scoring prowess.<\/p>\n<h3>John <em>or<\/em> Jalen, or Josh <em>and<\/em> Jaylin?<\/h3>\n<p>Utah Jazz forward-center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/collijo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Collins<\/a> and Detroit Pistons center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/durenja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jalen Duren<\/a> should be among Detroit\u2019s options at center. They\u2019re both more nimble than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vucevni01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Vucevic<\/a> and better defenders. Duren is the more fluid athlete and a better rebounder. However, Collins is the better shot-blocker as he has better awareness than the 20-year-old.<\/p>\n<p>Oklahoma City Thunder center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/willija07.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaylin Williams<\/a>, a career 38.5 percent 3-point shooter, could also be a trade target. This is particularly true if the Bulls are parting ways with Vucevic, as the Thunder could use help on the boards. If they include the No. 11 pick, this could also lead to Chicago landing guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/giddejo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh Giddey<\/a>, whose passing prowess is undeniable.<\/p>\n<p>Though they had the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs, Oklahoma City ranked 27th in rebounds per game (42.0) in 2023-24. This came back to bite them against the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Semifinals, where they were met their demise. Held to 40.5 rebounds per game, the Thunder were severely outmatched on the boards.<\/p>\n<p>Vucevic has the eighth-high rebounding average (10.5) among active players.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Having solved the riddle of complex knee injury that\u2019s kept him sidelined since 2022, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is gearing up for a return to the court in 2024-25. Appearing on his podcast, What An Experience, the 6-foot-6 playmaker delves into the mystery of tricky meniscus. \u201cTo make a long story short,\u201d Ball begins, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":78734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62,4721],"tags":[510,667,4745,474,457],"class_list":["post-78714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","category-trade-rumors","tag-julius-randle","tag-lonzo-ball","tag-nba-injuries","tag-nikola-vucevic","tag-zach-lavine"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78714\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}