The Chicago Bulls must wait for a while before they can have forward Nikola Mirotić back in action, as the second-year big man just underwent a successful appendectomy and is scheduled to return following the All-Star Weekend.
Toronto is hosting this year's All-Star Weekend that will take place on Feb. 12–14.
This means the Bulls have to play their games until the much anticipated break without Mirotić, who is one of their most efficient big men this season.
Playing in only his second season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and with Chicago, Mirotić is averaging 10.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 24 minutes played per contest.
The 24-year-old forward is also given the starting role this season in 31 of a total 44 games played, very different from last season when he was a member of the second unit and only had three starts in 82 games.
Mirotić is one of the reasons why long time Bulls center Joakim Noah, who is also out but because of injury, is being involved in trade rumors recently.
The emergence of Chicago's young big men like Mirotić gave Noah a reduced role this season.
Noah was a starter for the Bulls since getting drafted in 2007, but this season he was coming off the bench in the majority of the games in which he saw action.
In Mirotić's absence, players that can step up are Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott, Tony Snell, and Bobby Portis among others.
The Bulls are inconsistent this season but despite all that, they are still third in the Eastern Conference standings with a 26–19 record, just behind the conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers (30–12) and the Toronto Raptors (31–15).
Chicago will continue on a seven-game road trip on Sunday, playing the second game of the trip taking on the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center.
