The Chicago Bulls: A :20 Timeout Is In Order

This morning, Chicago Bulls forward Alize Johnson tested positive for Covid-19 and will enter the league's health and safety protocols. That marks the 10th Bulls player on the current roster to enter the health and safety protocols since December 4th.

The league's rules state that a team must have a minimum of eight players on its roster in order to proceed with a game as scheduled. The Bulls currently have the ability to do so despite losing 8 players over the past week, including DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.

However, this outbreak is no longer about the ability of the Bulls to field a team that features its best players. They have reached a point where they can no longer put a team on the court night in and night out that does not hinder the integrity of the NBA. If NBA commissioner Adam Silver, a man who has done many great things to enhance the league's marketability, cares about integrity and its ability to promote its product to the fullest, he will do the right thing and bring the Chicago Bulls season to a pause until they have the ability to place a competitive team on the court and provide the level of play that the fans and the corporate sponsors are financially invested in. Anything else would be full-on neglect.