JANUARY 21, 2:45pm: Carter has undergone surgery to repair his injured left thumb and will miss the next 8-12 weeks, the Bulls confirmed today (via Twitter).
JANUARY 18, 3:33pm: The Bulls announced today that Carter is expected to undergo surgery and be sidelined for about eight to 12 weeks. There are only about 12 weeks left in the regular season, so it’s possible we won’t see WCJ again in 2018/19.
JANUARY 18, 2:24pm: After undergoing initial tests on his injured left thumb, Bulls rookie Wendell Carter Jr. appeared to have avoided a major injury. However, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune, a follow-up exam on Carter’s thumb revealed ligament damage that may require surgery.
The Bulls initially feared that Carter suffered a broken thumb when he went down on Tuesday night, and were bracing for a six-to-eight week absence, as Johnson notes. However, an MRI on Wednesday suggested that there were no fractures and the ligament was “largely intact.” Carter had been listed as day-to-day and hoped to play on Saturday vs. Miami.
Unfortunately, according to Johnson, a follow-up exam conducted on Friday showed ligament damage that those initial tests didn’t detect.
Carter and the Bulls are still weighing his options, so it’s not yet clear whether he’ll undergo surgery on the thumb, or how long he might be sidelined, per Johnson. Head coach Jim Boylen said today that Carter is visiting a hand specialist and a decision will be made soon (Twitter link via Johnson).
If Carter has to miss an extended period, it would be another setback for a Bulls team that finally had its core players healthy after an injury-plagued first half in which Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn, and Bobby Portis, among others, all missed time due to health problems.
Oh boy that sucks! I really like WCJ, I thin he will be a very solid player (a la Horford) just hope he can come back before the end of the season, is always good for rookies to play as much as they can. Get well soon dude!
*I think
Therefore you are*
The stars are aligning for the Bulls to get a top 5 pick, which will make Booboo Boylen and GarPax think they are smart next season. Unfortunate, but probably more interesting for fans if they add a star through the draft.
This draft is light on “stars”. Zion is pretty much it in the star category. And I’m not sure he’s an actual contributing star or a viral star yet. That jump shot is ugly. RJ Barrett is the best player in the draft. But he’s more of a Kawhi type guy. Not a face of a franchise star personality guy