Health concerns are likely to prevent Luol Deng from returning to be a factor in the Eastern Conference semifinals for the Chicago Bulls.
Deng said he’s lost 15 pounds and remains weakened by a spinal tap procedure. Deng’s toughness has been questioned, but following a brief attempt to shoot Thursday, those suggestions should be put to rest.
“I want to play but I don’t know what I can do. I haven’t done anything. It really sucks,” he said. “I’m weak and I have headaches. When I’m moving around a lot, my headaches increase.”
Deng said that in addition to the weight loss, he was playing with a wrist injury and a fractured thumb.
He didn’t travel to New Jersey for Game 7 of the first-round series against the Nets and was still in a hospital bed for the first two games of the current series with the Miami Heat.
“I started throwing up, constant diarrhea. I couldn’t control my body really,” he said. “Because of that, I lost a lot of weight.”
The Bulls are also playing without Kirk Hinrich (calf), and Derrick Rose is not likely to play after missing the entire 2012-13 season.
Rookie Marquis Teague has been forced into more minutes — about 12 per game — to spare supersub Nate Robinson, the point guard pushed into a starting role with Hinrich out. Jimmy Butler played all 48 minutes in the final two games of the Nets’ series and in Game 1 at Miami.
“He’s doing his job,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We expect him to be in shape. He’s played a lot and done a good job. With Lou being out, we’re a little short-handed, so he has to play more now.”
