With Zach LaVine back, Bulls win 2-0

The Chicago Bulls welcome back Zach LaVine from injury as they move up the Eastern Conference standings.

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and many other notable Bulls alumni will be honored at the inaugural Ring of Honor celebration this week.

The Illinois men’s basketball team is facing another legal battle as Terrence Shannon Jr. filed a restraining order seeking reinstatement following his arrest on rape charges in Kansas.

Every Wednesday throughout the season, Tribune writers will provide the latest on what’s happening and what’s ahead with the Bulls, Sky and local basketball teams.

After not playing in nearly six weeks, Zach LaVine made his long-awaited return to the court with the Bulls on Friday.

After LaVine missed 17 games with a right foot injury, the Bulls were cautious with LaVine, limiting his minutes while keeping him with center Nikola Vučević, who was also returning from injury. Come on as a substitute together. LaVine overcame that minute limit in Monday’s overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets, playing 36 minutes despite being downgraded to questionable status earlier in the day.

LaVine’s return has been quiet. He had 15 points and four assists at home against Charlotte on Friday, then had nine points and five assists on the road on Monday. He admitted that both performances were affected by the loss of endurance that is to be expected during a long-term injury absence.

After LaVine returned, the Bulls had a record of 2 wins and 0 losses, ranking ninth in the Eastern Conference. The team was 5-14 before his injury and 10-7 in his absence. LaVine’s every performance will be scrutinized in the final month leading up to the Feb. 8 trade deadline as the Bulls try to find the trade market for their max-paid star.

The Bulls are still slowly getting back to something resembling a full roster. Alex Caruso was in and out of the lineup with neck stiffness after hitting Trae Young’s leg against the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 26. Patrick Williams is nursing an ankle sprain that has bothered him since the Dec. 28 game against the Indiana Pacers. Torrey Craig is at least five weeks away from returning due to a sprained plantar fascia in his right foot.

But with LaVine and Vucevic back in the rotation, the Bulls can start looking at how their core works together and use that evaluation as they approach the February trade deadline.

Suspended Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. filed a temporary restraining order against the university on Monday, asking to reinstate his indefinite suspension as he faces rape charges at Kansas State.

Shannon’s attorneys, Mark P. Sutter, Rob Lang, Steve Beckett and Mark Goldenberg, said they The lawsuit was filed because their clients believed the university failed to follow protocol and made a hasty decision to suspend.

“We will review the document and defend our student-athlete misconduct procedures, which allow us to respond quickly to allegations of misconduct and serious crimes while allowing our student-athletes a fair process and pending legal system and the conduct of university disciplinary proceedings,” Illinois Vice Chancellor Robin Kahler told The Associated Press.

Shannon was charged with rape on Dec. 5 for an incident that occurred in September while he was attending an Illini football game in Kansas. A warrant was issued for his arrest on December 27, and he turned himself in on December 28 and was released on bail. If convicted of rape, Shannon could face 12 to 54 years in prison. If convicted of the assault charge, he could be fined up to $2,500 and sentenced to up to a year in prison.

Shannon played four games for Illinois between the time he was charged and suspended on Dec. 28. He averaged more points per game (21.7), which ranked second in the Big Ten behind reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey of Purdue.

The Chicago Bulls will honor 13 former players, coaches and executives this week in the inaugural Ring of Honor, hosting a gala at the United Center on Thursday and a halftime celebration of Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors .

Inductees to the inaugural Ring of Honor class include Artis Gilmore, Johnny “Red” Kerr, Dick Klein, Jerry Krause, Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan, Tony Cuoco Odd, Bob Love, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker and Tex Winters. All members of the 1995-96 team that won 72 games and captured its fourth NBA championship will also be inducted into the Ring of Honor.

( (DON’T MISS) Who should be inducted into the Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor next? 5 potential options for the future. )

The Bulls have not yet announced the full guest list for the event or whether the event will feature a long-awaited reunion of Jordan and Pippen, who have been feuding publicly for the past four years.

On Tuesday morning, the five teams ranked fourth through eighth in the Eastern Conference were tied in terms of overall record. All five teams — the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers — have a 21-15 record, seven games behind the Boston Celtics, The latter is still firmly ranked first in the Eastern Conference.

That balance was immediately upset on Tuesday night. But that brief tie streak reflects the relative parity at the top of the Eastern Conference — something that could benefit the Bulls as they try to move up the standings.

The Bulls still have a lot of work to do before they compete in the next round of the Eastern Conference standings. They are five games away from being the eighth seed and four games away from getting back to .500. But the upcoming 14 games before the Feb. 8 trade deadline could work in the team’s favor.

From a travel perspective, the stretch is going to be brutal. The Bulls played nine of 14 games on the road before the trade deadline, including back-to-back home and away games.

But the Bulls are in a good position from a strength-of-schedule standpoint. They face the third-easiest schedule in the Eastern Conference the rest of the season and the second-easiest schedule in the NBA with 14 games remaining before the deadline.

• Wednesday: Houston Rockets, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Chicago
• Thursday: Ring of Honor Gala@United Center
• Friday: Golden State Warriors, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Chicago
• Saturday: @San Antonio Spurs, 7:30 PM, NBC Sports Chicago
• Sunday: leave
• on Monday: @Cleveland Cavaliers, 6 p.m., NBC Sports Chicago
• Tuesday: leave

January 13, 1999: Michael Jordan retires from Bulls again

This time, he meant it. Or so he said. Michael Jordan has retired from the Chicago Bulls for the second time in less than five years.

He told a well-attended news conference at the United Center, the arena he built, that he was “99.9 percent sure” he would not return after 13 years in the NBA. “It’s not really 100 percent,” Jordan said, “but it’s close. That’s where I stand. I’m not going to say never. But I’m going to say 99.9.”

Jordan, who first retired in 1993 after the Bulls won their third of six championships, said it was a good time to hang up his Air Jordans. During his legendary career, he won 6 championship rings and 10 scoring titles, as well as 5 Most Valuable Player Awards and 6 NBA Finals MVP trophies.

In addition to being remembered as the greatest player in basketball history, Jordan established himself as a clutch player when he made the game-winning shot with 5.2 seconds left to help the Bulls win their sixth championship, 87-86. Player reputation. Defeated the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals.

Just as he did when Jordan retired on October 6, 1993, NBA Commissioner David Stern flew to Chicago to pay tribute to Jordan, calling him one of the greatest ambassadors in the history of the game. Stern virtually begged Jordan to play at least one more season to help repair the public relations damage caused by the labor dispute, and he thanked Jordan for a stellar career that raised the league’s profile around the world.

Of course, Jordan did not continue to retire. He played for the Washington Wizards from 2001 to 2003 before finally retiring (we think) for good.

January 15, 1925: The Chicago Bruins, the city’s first professional basketball team, lose 33-29 to the Beloit Fairies at the Broadway Armory.

Team manager and left back? George Halas. The rest of the team is made up of Big Ten Conference captains. They played in the American Basketball League through the 1930-31 season before disbanding.

“I slept very well tonight, and you all don’t understand.” — Zach LaVine was playing his first game back with the Bulls after missing 17 games with a right foot injury