UPDATE: Dwyane Wade out for the season
Chicago Bulls have officially announced that the season is over for Dwyane Wade. This will make playoff chase much more difficult for the Bulls and even if they make it to the postseason, it will be hard to win a single game without Wade.
OFFICIAL: Dwyane Wade's MRI showed a sprain and a small fracture in the elbow. Wade will be out the remainder of the regular season. pic.twitter.com/SzKwnysq1I
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 16, 2017
Dwyane Wade is one of the most injury-prone players, and if it wasn't for all the injuries he has gone through, he might have achieved even more in his career.
Last night, the Chicago Bulls and Wade faced off against the Memphis Grizzlies, and the shooting guard went down once again. This time, it was sprained elbow that bothered Wade as he left to the locker room in the fourth quarter.
Chicago Bulls ended up losing another game and injured Wade did not help much as he scored only 8 points on 3-for-11 shooting. Wade thought he could play through it, but his elbow hurt too much and he was forced to leave the game. This could be a serious injury for the 35-year old veteran, and the Bulls cannot afford to lose him.
Dwyane Wade's elbow could force him to miss more games
Wade has missed 11 games this season due to various injuries, and there is a chance that he will miss more games if his elbow issue turns out to be serious.
"It’s my shooting arm too. It's not good pain at all," said Dwyane Wade of his injury, which could affect his performance if he returns to action for the Bulls.
Dwyane Wade has a sprained elbow. Will get an MRI in the morning, per Coach Hoiberg.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 16, 2017
In his first season in Chicago, Wade is averaging 18.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
He is the second-best player on the team and having him miss more games could be very costly for the Bulls, as they don't have an appropriate replacement for him.
Chicago Bulls cannot afford to lose Dwyane Wade
Jimmy Butler, Wade's teammate, had the same injury in March 2015 and he was forced to miss 11 games because of it. With 14 games left in the season, the Chicago Bulls can't afford to lose Wade, not for one, let alone more games.
The Bulls are just one game behind the eighth seed in the East and their playoff chances are very much alive. However, if Dwyane Wade's elbow injury causes him to miss some of those games, Chicago's playoff window will slowly close unless someone steps up in Wade's absence.
"My concern level is there is only 14 games left, and I’ve never had this injury, so I can’t say two days, two weeks. I don’t know," said the shooting guard, expressing his concern about the injury. He also added that he talked to Butler and didn't like what he heard from him. Dwyane Wade is aware that the Bulls count on him to help them make the playoffs, and it is his concern if he cannot help them do it.
