Chicago Bulls starting small forward Mike Dunleavy will miss at least two months after undergoing surgery on his lower back, the team announced Friday afternoon.
Mike Dunleavy to miss 8-10 weeks after back surgery
The Bulls’ starting small forward will not be available to start the season.
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The 35-year-old forward -- who re-signed with Chicago on a three-year, $14.4 million deal this summer -- experienced discomfort throughout the offseason and previous measures couldn’t alleviate the pain. Thus, the team decided to have Dunleavy undergo a microdiscectomy. He will miss 8-10 weeks, so there’s a chance he may not return to the court until the new year.
“The timing is unfortunate, but it was imperative that all conservative measures were exhausted prior to making this decision,” the team announced in a press release.
Dunleavy averaged fewer than 10 points per game last season for only the third time in his 13-year career and is getting up there in age, but his shooting and his movement off the ball make the rest of the team better. Chicago went just 9-10 in the 19 games he sat last season. Youngsters Tony Snell and Doug McDermott must step up in his absence, while Nikola Mirotic can also slide down from power forward to fill in on the wing.
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