Brutal Schedule Makes This a Horrible Time for a Chicago Bulls Injury Crisis

If the Chicago Bulls' loss to Milwaukee was a bump in the road, Monday night's loss to Minnesota was a popped tire and barrel roll into a flaming ditch.

Not only did the Timberwolves cruise to a 35-point victory, but they did so after watching the Bulls lose their two top scorers. Coby White walked off the floor and straight into the locker room during the first quarter with a calf injury. Less than two quarters later, Josh Giddey was motioning to the sideline for his own timeout. The guard hobbled his way to the tunnel while holding his hamstring.

The two average nearly 40 points, 14 assists, and 12 rebounds a night for the Bulls. They serve as the driving force behind the team's high-tempo, pass-happy offense. With both on the floor and healthy over the last couple of weeks, the Bulls played some of their best basketball of the season. They won five consecutive games against teams that sat higher in the Eastern Conference, and they moved back to .500 in the process.

Indeed, this was a Chicago Bulls team that appeared to have tapped back into its early-season magic. And it couldn't have come at a better time. The schedule is ramping up in terms of both competition and physical toll. If any team could handle that, however, it feels like a Bulls team that has built its identity around having multiple productive ball-handlers and a deep rotation of serviable role players.

Life comes at you fast, huh? To be clear, we have yet to receive any status update on White or Giddey. Is the concern regarding a multi-game absence valid for both players? Absolutely. White's injury appears to be the same calf that had held him out for essentially three months and forced him to miss the first 11 games of the season. As for Giddey, hamstring injuries are notorious for being a pesky week-to-week issue.

Now, K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network did note that Giddey was walking around after the game without a noticeable limp. The fact that White was also first deemed questionable to return before being ruled out also provides some hope that it's nothing too severe. Still, it's hard to imagine the Bulls expect to have either back in the coming days, especially when considering their gauntlet.

Once again, the Bulls may not be facing the fiercest competition, but there is arguably no worse time this season to be without your two starting guards. The Bulls' meeting with the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night marks the beginning of an exhausting stretch of six games in nine days. This comes two days after playing three games in four days.

Chicago Bulls Next Six Games

Dec. 31 – vs. Pelicans
Jan. 2 – vs. Magic
Jan. 3 – vs. Hornets
Jan. 5 – @ Celtics
Jan. 7 – @ Pistons
Jan. 8 – vs. Heat

The Bulls have already lost to five of those six teams this season. Three of those teams have a Top 12 defense, while two of them are Top 10 in PACE. Not a great time to be without your offensive tone-setters!

Oh, and did we mention that Zach Collins is also sidelined with a toe injury? The big man was ruled out ahead of last night's games, and head coach Billy Donovan shared that he isn't expected to play for at least the rest of this week. In other words, the Bulls can already rule him out for three of these six games.

Fingers and toes are surely crossed at the Advocate Center that better-than-expected news emerges this week. However, I can't imagine Donovan is holding his breath. The head coach doesn't have much time to think about what life would be like without his two top scorers, and he already started to set that tone after last night's game:

Are the injuries impactful? Yes, but these guys are all pros and they want an opportunity to play. We need to be a whole lot better. Our guard play, in particular, has to get better. I know with Coby and Josh, whatever their status may be in the future, I think there is enough there with Ayo, Kevin Huerter, and Tre Jones to carry the load.

We need to be a whole better. I’m anxious to see if we can learn and grow from what happened last time.”

Of course, Donovan is referring to the Bulls' downward spiral, which saw them drop eight of nine games earlier this month. The Bulls looked like a shell of their former self with guys moving in and out of the lineup due to a lengthy injury report. Those were also primarily role players. So if that's what happens when the bench is limited, what could happen when the starting lineup takes a hit?

If one thing is certain, teams around the NBA will be closely monitoring the next couple of weeks in Chicago. The Bulls were already considered a potential trade deadline seller, but another losing streak here could be the ultimate decider.