>> PARIS WE TOSS IT BACK TO YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
AND AS YOU JUST MENTIONED THERE
IS A BIG COVID OUTBREAK AMONG
THE BULLS GOING HALF THE TEAM'S
ROSTER FROM THE COURT.
10 PLAYERS ARE IN THE HEALTH AND
SAFETY PROTOCOL AND THAT LED THE
NBA TO POSTPONE THE BULLS' NEXT
TWO GAMES.
JOINING US IS CHERYL
RAYE-STUART, SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR
AT WBEZ CHICAGO PUBLIC MEDIA.
THE BULLS HAVE BEEN PLUGGING
AWAY HERE WITH BARELY HALF A
ROSTER WHAT LED THE NBA TO PULL
THE PLUG ON THE NEXT TWO GAMES?
>> I THINK THEY LOOK AT THE FACT
THAT YOU HAD THE 10TH TODAY AND
THERE IS NO MORE HARDSHIP
PLAYERS THE BULLS CAN PICK UP.
THEY WILL ONLY HAVE EIGHT
PLAYERS AVAILABLE SO THE CONCERN
IS WILL YOU HAVE ANOTHER CASE
TOMORROW?
OR MORE THAN ONE CASE TOMORROW?
AND THE OTHER FACTOR IS REALLY
IMPORTANT, THE THURSDAY'S GAME
WAS GOING TO BE IN CANADA.
IN TORONTO.
AND I THINK THEY WERE CONCERNED
THAT CANADA WOULD NOT ALLOW THE
BULLS TO COME TO TORONTO.
SO I THINK THEY FACTORED IN WE
COULD HAVE MORE CASES WITH THE
BULLS AND WE KNOW THAT CANADA
MAY BE A FACTOR AS FAR AS A GAME
NOT BEING ABLE TO BE PLAYED.
>> 10 BULLS PLAYERS IN THE
PROTOCOL INCLUDING ZACH LAVINE,
DEMAR DEROZAN, HOW SERIOUS IS IT
FOR THE PLAYERS?
HOW MANY HAVE COVID VERSUS WERE
JUST EXPOSED AND THEY ARE
STAYING AWAY NOW?
>> IF YOU REMEMBER, ZACH LAVINE
HAD COVID LAST SEASON AND WAS
OUT 11 GAMES.
SO WHAT WE'RE HEARING IS MOST OF
THE PLAYERS HAVE MILD SYMPTOMS
OR SOME HAVE NO SYMPTOMS SO THAT
IS GOOD.
STAYSTY KING AND BILL WEDDINGTON
GOT COVID TOO AND STACY KING HAS
SEVERE ISSUES LAST WEEK.
HE HAD A 103 TEMPERATURE.
HE HAD UPS AND DOWNS WITH IT.
SO THEY HAVE HAD ISSUES BUT AS
FAR AS THE PLAYERS I'VE HEARD
LITTLE TO NONE AS FAR AS BAD
SYMPTOMS.
>> TWO OF THE ANALYSTS ON THE
BROADCAST TEAM.
WE WISH A SPEEDY RECOVERY.
MOSTLY THE BULLS ARE VACCINATED
AND BOOSTED?
>> YES.
ALL THE PLAYERS ARE VACCINATED
BUT THEY RECENTLY STARTED
GETTING THEIR BOOSTER SHOTS SO I
DON'T KNOW IF THE TIMING IS A
FACTOR THERE.
ONE THING IS WE KNOW THEY GO ON
TO A PLANE.
AND THAT'S WHY I WANT TO TALK
ABOUT THE ANNOUNCERS THEY ARE
NOW IN A PLANE ALTOGETHER AS
OPPOSED TO LAST YEAR THE
ANNOUNCERS DID NOT TRAVEL AND
THE PLAYERS HAD TO BE SEPARATED.
SO I THINK THEY FELT THEY WERE
SAFE.
THEY FELT BECAUSE THEY WERE
VACCINATED THAT AN OUTBREAK
CAN'T OCCUR BUT THE BREAKTHROUGH
CASES ARE HAPPENING.
>> AND CHERYL, AS WE MENTIONED,
THE BULLS HAD A ROUGH PATCH AS
THEY WERE HIRING PLAYERS OFF THE
STREET OR IN DEVELOPMENTAL
LEAGUES WHEN ARE THE PLAYERS
COMING OUT OF COVID PROTOCOL?
SOME THIS WEEK.
WHEN THE BULLS PLAY ON SUNDAY
AGAINST THE LAKERS, I THINK
THREE-FOUR PLAYERS WILL BE OUT
OF COVID PROTOCOL THEY WILL BE
NOT AT FULL STRENGTH BUT IN
BETTER STRENGTH BUT EARLY NEXT
WEEK THEY WILL HAVE MORE PLAYERS
AVAILABLE.
>> HOW BAD IS THE PROBLEM
COMPARED TO OTHER NBA TEAMS AND
DOES THE NBA HAVE A PLAN TO DEAL
WITH THIS?
>> THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE
NBA HAD TO MAKE A DECISION ON
SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
OTHER TEAMS CHARLOTTE HAD FIVE
PLAYERS.
BUT THE BULLS HAVING 10
INCLUDING ONE THEY HAD SIGNED
FOR THE HARDSHIP CASE, THAT I
THINK COMPLETELY THREW THE NBA
OFF.
I DON'T THINK THEY HAD ANY IDEA
THIS COULD HAPPEN AND THEY ARE
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT OK, THIS IS
WHAT WE HAVE, NOW THIS IS
PROBABLY GOING TO BE THE
STANDARD GOING FORWARD AS FAR AS
OTHER TEAMS GO.
>> AND THIS IS A SPEED BUMP IN A
MAGICAL SEASON THE BULLS WERE
HAVING.
AMAZING PLAY FROM DEMAR DEROZAN,
ZACH LAVINE.
WHAT IS THE CEILING FOR THIS
TEAM ONCE ALL OF THIS CLEARS?
>> WE'VE SEEN GREAT PLAY
DEFENSIVELY THEY ARE ONE OF THE
TOP TEAMS DEFENSIVELY AND
OFFENSIVELY.
BILLY DONOVAN HAS DONE A GREAT
JOB OF MAKING THE SYSTEM WORK
WITH THE DIFFERENT PLAYERS.
AND I THINK IT'S ONE OF THE
REASONS WHY THE NBA WANTS TO BE
CAREFUL WITH THE CHICAGO BULLS.
THEY ARE A MUST SEE TEAM RIGHT
NOW.
EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT THEM.
SO THE NBA WANTS TO MAKE SURE
THEY PROTECT THEM FROM HAVING
REALLY BAD GAMES AND BAD LOSSES
WHERE THEY DON'T NEED TO.
SO CALLING A COUPLE GAMES OFF IS
NOT A BAD DEAL.