With expectations relatively low going into the season for the Chicago Bulls, the franchise is already dealing with adversity before playing a single regular season game. Yesterday, forward Nikola Mirotic was hospitalized after catching a fist from teammate Bobby Portis when an altercation escalated during a recent practice.
The two engaged in verbal jabs which then turned into a shoving match and was finished by a punch from Bobby Portis that gave Mirotic a concussion and two broken bones in his face. After a violent act to this degree and that caused this much damage, it’s no surprise to see disciplinary action being handed down. Following from CBS Chicago:
Bulls forward Bobby Portis has been suspended eight games for punching teammate Nikola Mirotic in practice Tuesday.
With Mirotic out for an extended period of time from the facial injuries, losing 8 games is a reasonable price to pay for Bobby Portis.
After undergoing a major overhaul this offseason, this Bulls roster looks largely devoid of talent so losing two contributors in Portis and Mirotic will hurt to start the season. The two were expected to see the majority of the minutes at power forward but with both now being inactive, look for lottery pick Lauri Markannen and Cristiano Felicio to a lesser degree to see larger roles within the Bulls frontcourt rotation.
Portis averaged 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds in just under 16 minutes of playing time during his sophomore campaign with Chicago last season.
