Bulls' Mirotic in limbo after having second surgery
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Mirotic remains in the hospital as he recovers from a hematoma removal over the weekend. The latest surgery came after Mirotic underwent an appendectomy on Jan. 27.
Initially, Mirotic, 24, was supposed to return after the All-Star break, but Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg didn’t sound as confident about that timeline while discussing Mirotic’s latest setback.
“He’s still in the hospital,” Hoiberg said. “He developed a hematoma, which is a collection of blood, that he had to go back in and have a second surgery to remove. He’s on a liquid diet right now. He’s in quite a bit of pain, but his spirits are OK. Hopefully he’ll get out of the hospital soon and just get him back. As far as a timetable for Niko to get back on the floor, we just don’t know yet. But he had the complication, got it fixed. Hopefully we’ll get him back soon.”
Mirotic has struggled all season to find a rhythm. After a solid second half to his rookie year, Mirotic has been inconsistent and has not had as much confidence shooting the ball, averaging 10.6 points a game and shooting 38.6 percent from the field.
“It’s still too early to tell,” Hoiberg said, when asked about the post-All-Star break timeline. “We’ll have a better idea once Niko gets out of the hospital and just gradually have to get his strength back. Hopefully he’ll be out in the next day or two, out of the hospital. Hopefully Niko will recover quickly from it, but you got to be careful any time you’re dealing with surgery. Not just one, but two, you got to be a little bit careful.”
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