Report claims Chicago Bulls are clueless as to why Lonzo Ball is still feeling knee pain

The latest chapter in the Lonzo Ball injury saga is not a pleasant one for Bulls fans everywhere. According to Chicago Bulls insider Joe Cowley, the oft-injured point guard continues to feel pain in his knee, and team officials—including medical staff—are clueless as to why this is. This is terrible news for a franchise that hoped Ball's return would inject life into the struggling Bulls team.

Puzzling development

The second surgery that Ball underwent late last year was supposed to rid his knee of all pain and discomfort, which he felt in the months that came after he also went under the knife to fix a torn meniscus. Apparently, that has not been the case, and nobody—not from the Bulls or the Ball family—knows why this is happening.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan had said earlier this week that he, Ball, and the team's management might have to consider discussing whether it was prudent to have the star guard try and come back this season, with time slowly running out on the regular season. With 50 games already done and 32 more to go, time is not on their side.

“My guess would be – there’s not been a specifically set date – my guess would be I think we get through the All-Star Break, I think there would probably be everybody sitting down to talk about length and time of the season, how realistic is it for him to get back, if he could get back what would the minutes look like, is it not worth having him back just because it’s too much?” Donovan said.

What's next?

With this development, a question must be asked—what is next for Lonzo Ball and the Bulls? At this point, it looks like a wait-and-see approach will have to be taken, as both the team's management and Ball himself consider what steps need to be taken to get him back on the court. However, the Bulls may want to think long and hard about what future they want to have, especially with their high-priced triumvirate of DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and Zach LaVine.

Should the Bulls stay on this path and wait for Ball to return, regardless if it will happen this or next season? Or should they blow it up and retool this roster with young, talented players with manageable salaries? It's a difficult question that Bulls management will have to answer soon. One thing is for sure—whatever they decide will greatly affect their future.