The Chicago Bulls have been plagued with covid-19, as most of their players have been observing the league’s health and safety protocols. Earlier today, the Bulls requested that the league postpone the game due to the outbreak, but it was unlikely as it seemed like things were under control.
At the time of the request, the Bulls had nine of their players in the league’s health protocols, including DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. Fans also called for the postponement, with many concerned about the team playing without their star players, but the NBA’s mandate is that a team that has at least eight players on the roster will play.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA has postponed the Bulls’ next two games. The Bulls were scheduled to host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night and the Toronto Raptors on Thursday. At the time of writing, no new date has been announced.
The Chicago Department of Public Health had concerns about the Bulls continuing to play this week, and that played a part in the NBA decision, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 13, 2021
“The NBA has postponed the Bulls-Pistons game on Tuesday and Bulls-Raptors on Thursday, source tells ESPN.”
“The Chicago Department of Public Health had concerns about the Bulls continuing to play this week, and that played a part in the NBA decision, sources tell ESPN.”
“These are the league’s first two postponements of the season.”
The Bulls have ten players in the health and safety protocols right now, with forward Alize Johnson testing positive for covid-19 a few hours again. The Bulls broadcasters Stacey King and Bill Wennington.
In the three games the Bulls have played without DeRozan, they have a 1-2 record. Missing more players would have likely been a dampener to their impressive start to the season.
A 17-10 record places the Bulls in third behind the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks. With the two-game postponement, the team might have DeRozan ready to go ahead of the clash against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.
