Report: Zach LaVine enters health and safety protocols, 10 Bulls on list

UPDATE: Bulls forward Alize Johnson has tested positive for COVID-19 and has entered the league’s health and safety protocols, per Adrian Wojnarwoski. The team has ten players in the health and safety protocols, but could get Coby White and Javonte Green back this week, per K.C. Johnson.

The Chicago Bulls may have to postpone some games soon. All-Star guard Zach LaVine is the latest Chicago player to end up in Covid-19 health and safety protocols, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Bulls have 9 players in protocols as of Sunday. Below we’ll list all of them out:

Zach LaVine
Javonte Green
Coby White
DeMar DeRozan
Stanley Johnson
Matt Thomas
Derrick Jones Jr.
Ayo Dosunmu
Troy Brown Jr.

Woj is saying LaVine will miss a minimum of 10 days unless he can register negative tests, which you would hope he can considering he’s had Covid and is vaccinated.

So the Bulls players who aren’t in Covid protocols are: Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Tony Bradley, Troy Brown Jr., Alize Johnson and new signee Alfonzo McKinnie. Update: Nevermind, as I was writing this, Brown was reported as in protocols. So he’s out and is the 9th player on the list.

Here are the nine players who are healthy and available (for now) to play for the Bulls on Tuesday vs. the Pistons.

How are the Bulls going to play competitive games? The NBA can’t force them to play when their entire roster is out. It’d be understandable if it were a few players, but LaVine spent time on the Covid list last season after he tested positive for the virus. He ended up missing at least two weeks of games.

The Bulls have been able to weather the Covid storm and are 17-10 on the season. Still, this is getting to a point where Chicago will essentially be a G League squad. The Bulls aren’t the only team struggling with health and safety protocols. There are around 20 players around the NBA who are in protocols.