Chicago Bulls' Dwyane Wade out for rest of regular season with elbow fracture
Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade will miss the rest of the regular season with a small fracture and sprain in his right elbow, the team announced in a news release on Thursday.
An MRI determined the extent of the injury, which Wade sustained in the fourth quarter of Chicago’s 98-91 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
“Now, the biggest thing is about protecting it and making sure that it heals the right way so I can get back to my football passes on the basketball floor,” Wade told reporters.
It is an unfortunate loss for the Bulls, who are 32-36 and competing for one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Chicago is in 10th place, but just one game behind the eighth-place Detroit Pistons and 1½ games behind the seventh-place Milwaukee Bucks.
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It has been a strange season for the Bulls – a season marked by an odd roster construction, inexplicable wins and difficult losses, a questionable trade and dysfunction. And yet, the Bulls have managed to remain in the playoff race. Their chances just took a hit with Wade’s injury, which sidelines him for the team’s remaining 14 regular-season games.
Wade’s absence puts more pressure on All-Star guard-forward Jimmy Butler, who leads the team in scoring (23.2 points per game) and minutes played (36.7 per game).
Wade told reporters that if the Bulls make the playoffs and he’s cleared, he will play.
Wade is in the first season of a two-year, $47 million contract, but he has an option on the second season. Wade also told reporters it’s too early to determine how the injury impacts his contract decision.
Wade is averaging 18.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals with the Bulls after 13 seasons with the Miami Heat.
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