Friday was an interesting day for Blue Devils Basketball alumni in Chicago. The Bulls announced they would put swingman Luol Deng out of commission for the remainder of the regular season and at least the first round of the NBA Playoffs, to which the Bulls clinched a spot yesterday. The medical staff is hoping Deng, who has been sidelined since Feb. 28 with a stress fracture in his right tibia, will avoid surgery by not playing.
The Bulls also announced yesterday that they had acquired guard DeMarcus Nelson from the NBDL's Austin Toros, where Nelson averaged 23 points and 4.2 assists per game under the coaching of another Duke alum, Quin Snyder. The Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson reports, "The Bulls want to get Nelson on their summer-league team."
I'm not sure Nelson will see that much playing time, if any, in the Bulls' playoff run, but being on the bench and in practice as the team tries to make its postseason push has to beat being in Austin. Also, the fact that the Bulls wanted to secure Nelson's summer rights speaks well for the recently-graduated Duke guard and his potential to play at the next level.
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