ORLANDO – Billy Donovan described it as an “overabundance of caution.”
Maybe so, but for Coby White it has to be a downright growing concern.
The Bulls guard missed the first 11 games of the regular season because of a strained right calf he suffered back in August. Even in his return he was on a minutes restriction and held out of back-to-backs just to be safe. Yet, there the Bulls and White were on Monday, again dealing with tightness in his calf, but this time the left one.
“I’m not going to know much more until we get back to Chicago, and he’ll get some imaging done, just to see where it’s at,” Donovan said of the latest setback for White. “The one he was dealing with most of the year was his right one, and now it’s his left.
“It’s hard for me to say, ‘Yeah, I’m concerned.’ I just don’t know yet. I do think that because of what he dealt with from the other calf, medical speaking to Coby, the best thing to do is be cautious here.”
What the coach and organization also have to do is protect White from himself. He turned down a contract extension last offseason, opting to become an unrestricted free agent and bet on himself. While both sides have had very amicable discussions about having open and first dialogue when the season ends, White also needs to show that he’s worth the investment from either the Bulls or elsewhere.
Sitting around in street clothes is not a way to do that, even with White averaging a team-high 24.2 points per game in the five games he has on his 2025-26 resume.
“It think it’s been frustrating for him quite honestly, and I’m not comparing his situation to (often-injured former Bull) Lonzo (Ball’s) by any stretch of the imagination, but Lonzo, we thought we’d get him to a place and we’re getting him back, it gets pushed back,” Donovan said. “I just feel bad for (White) because he’s worked really hard to get back and I’ve seen the work he’s put in after practice, before practice, those types of things.
“He’s pretty in tune to his body and he did tell me (Monday) that it doesn’t feel like the other one did, but there is some tightness there. At times with some of these guys, they’re competitive like Coby and they want to get out there and play. Sometimes you have to protect them from themselves and say, ‘No you’re not.’ “
Looking for contact
Because of the heavy flow of games for the Bulls the last week, full-contact scrimmages have been a no-no. That’s not good news for Zach Collins.
The reserve big man is close to making his season debut after left wrist surgery but wanted to test it with some knock-down, drag-out scrimmaging. He’ll get that opportunity in the next few days, but not with the big-boy roster.
“We’re not going to be able to (scrimmage), so I think the hope is when we get back, Wednesday, Thursday, go with (G League) Windy City and go in there and practice,” Donovan said. “Get in some of those runs and do that. If all that goes well the hope is maybe by the end of the week we can get him in.”
Walking wounded
Besides being without White and Collins, Isaac Okoro (back), Jalen Smith (hamstring), Dalen Terry (calf) and Noa Essengue (shoulder) were all out for the Magic.
Then after just six minutes of work against Orlando, guard Kevin Huerter was forced to miss the rest of the game with an adductor injury.