Alize Johnson becomes 10th Bull in health protocols originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
In what is becoming almost a daily occurrence, another Chicago Bulls player has entered the NBA's health and safety protocols.
On Monday morning, Alize Johnson became the 10th player on the team to enter protocols since Dec. 1, NBC Sports Chicago confirmed.
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With the statuses of Coby White and Javonte Green pending, that leaves the Bulls, as of this writing, with eight available players for Tuesday's home game against the Detroit Pistons. The league's minimum for active players required to field a team — and, thus, hold a game — is eight.
NBA rules dictate that players who test positive remain in protocols for 10 days, or until they return two negative PCR tests within a 24-hour period, then clear cardiac screening before returning to play. White, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 1, and Green, who tested positive on Dec. 3, have each passed the 10-day mark of their stay in protocols, meaning they could become eligible in the near future, but their statuses for Tuesday are yet unclear.
DeMar DeRozan, Matt Thomas, Derrick Jones Jr., Ayo Dosunmu, Stanley Johnson (who was signed with a hardship exception granted by the league in light of the outbreak), Zach LaVine and Troy Brown Jr. are also in protocols.
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The Bulls' eight active players, as of now, are Nikola Vučević, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, Tony Bradley, Marko Simonović, Alfonzo McKinnie, Devon Dotson and Tyler Cook. McKinnie was signed via hardship exception on Friday, while Dotson, Cook and Simonović have spent most of the season in the G League.
Eleven Bulls players have now entered protocols this season, including Vučević, who tested positive and missed seven games in November.
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