Bulls guard Zach LaVine set to make his season debut Saturday

He sat out again Friday as the Bulls played their second game, having decided with the team’s medical staff that he’ll make his season debut Saturday in the home opener against the Cavaliers.

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Zach LaVine

WASHINGTON — It was quite the performance for Zach LaVine. The Bulls’ two-time All-Star showed off his ball-handling, his aggressive cutting and the improvements he has made in the pick-and-roll game.

Unfortunately, it came against the Bulls’ player-development staff and guys who shoot video for the team rather than actual NBA players. And it occurred at Georgetown University on Thursday, not at Capital One Arena, where the Bulls faced the Wizards on Friday night.

But as LaVine navigates a tricky situation with his troublesome left knee, beggars can’t be choosers.

He sat out again Friday as the Bulls (1-1) played their second game, having decided with the team’s medical staff that he’ll make his season debut Saturday in the home opener against the Cavaliers.

How LaVine’s situation is handled moving forward remains unclear for everyone involved. The Bulls have three more back-to-backs coming up on the schedule by Nov. 7. The way coach Billy Donovan explained it, it’s unlikely LaVine would be off a management schedule for his knee by then.

“It’s hard just to go in and say, ‘OK, here’s the schedule, and here’s the games that we’re going to rest him or manage him when he’s feeling great,’ ” Donovan said. “You know if he’s feeling great, he’s obviously going to want to play, but I also think we need to be smart and [that] this is more the medical and doctors, those guys looking at, ‘OK, sometimes it’s not in that moment — it’s a cumulative effect of something happening later on.’

“There may be some times where he does feel OK and the doctors, our medical group, says, ‘OK, this is the game to rest and get yourself back.’ So I can’t tell you I’ve looked at the schedule and here are the games we know [he’ll sit].”

After clean-up surgery in the spring, LaVine received a five-year, $215 million contract as a free agent in July, and as late as Wednesday, there had been no indication of the knee being a problem. Although he has spoken to reporters about it, he has remained vague about what he’s experiencing or if sitting out select games would be a long-term solution every year to keep him ready for postseason play.

Has this become his new normal at this stage of his career? Donovan didn’t get into that, knowing only that the Bulls have those back-to-backs approaching — against the Spurs and 76ers next Friday and Saturday, then on the road against the Nets and at home against the Hornets, and then a home-and-home with the Raptors. Each back-to-back could be handled differently and warrant its own discussions about LaVine’s availability.

“There’s no minute restriction on him, but clearly the more load there is on him, you’ll have to take a look at him,” Donovan said. “There’s nothing going into the [games] where they are saying, ‘Listen, we’ve got to keep his minutes right here.’ Certainly, him playing 40 minutes or 39 or 38 isn’t the best thing.”

EYE-OPENING ABSENCE

The Bulls will be as close to whole as possible when they host the Cavs on Saturday. The Cavs, however, won’t be able to say the same. All-Star guard Darius Garland was poked in the eye during a loss to the Raptors on Wednesday, and while there was no structural damage, he was ruled out for the game at the United Center.

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