Sidelined for two to four weeks with an ankle injury, Bulls big man Bobby Portis looked at the bright side Friday.
‘‘It wasn’t my knee,’’ said Portis, who missed 23 games this season with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. ‘‘Ankles are things that happen all the time in basketball. So that’s the best thing that’s going right now. I’m getting good treatment every day. I’m starting to feel better.’’
Portis suffered a sprained right ankle in the waning minutes of the Bulls’ 96-93 loss Wednesday to the Nets at the United Center. It came in his fifth game back from the knee injury.
‘‘As soon as I did it, I knew something wasn’t right,’’ said Portis, who had 16 points and 11 rebounds when he left the game. ‘‘[I wanted] to try to tough it out. Then I kept walking more and more, and I thought the best thing to help the team was for me to come out and someone else to come in.’’
Portis said he is determined to stay upbeat and patient as he recovers from another injury.
‘‘Yeah, I’m cool,’’ Portis said. “I had what, five games back, and this happens? Obviously, I’m battle-tested. . . . This is just one little piece of adversity I hit this year, and I’ll overcome it.’’
Parker out
Portis’ injury seemed to offer Jabari Parker an opportunity for some playing time, but Parker still is feeling the effects of an illness he picked up during the Bulls’ trip last week to Mexico City and told coach Jim Boylen he couldn’t go.
‘‘He does not feel his conditioning is where it needs to be for him to play,’’ Boylen said.
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Parker hasn’t played since a four-minute stint Dec. 13.
‘‘Just trying to get in shape,’’ Parker said. ‘‘Discomfort with the fatigue and the [conditioning]. Gotta get my body back in that game [shape]. Need more practices. Need more up and down. That’s going to help because I haven’t done much in a couple of days. Just can’t throw myself into the fire.’’
More injuries
Guard Cam Payne was added to the Bulls’ ever-growing injury list with a sore right calf.
‘‘I’m not going to take a chance with him,’’ said Boylen, whose team already was without Portis, Parker, guard Zach LaVine and swingman Denzel Valentine against the Magic.
• Guard Tyler Ulis, who has played in only four games for the Windy City Bulls in the G League, is out indefinitely after having arthroscopic surgery on his left hip.
Big Bill is back
Former Bulls center Bill Cartwright was a visitor at practice Thursday and at the United Center on Friday.
‘‘I told Bill we’d love to have him whenever he’s available,’’ Boylen said. ‘‘I think he embodies some of the things we’re talking about — leadership, toughness. I know the ‘Bulls’ across his chest meant a lot, so it’s great to have him.’’
