Luol Deng's had a run-in with Bulls doctors in the past. Back in 2009 -- Rose's rookie season -- the Bulls declared in February that one of Deng's injuries was shrug-worthy enough that the forward should "challenge himself physically" in treatment so he could get back on the court. The Bulls released a public statement to that effect and with those three words. The quote came from Bulls team doctor Brian Cole. It was widely seen as a P.R. volley designed to get Deng back on the court for a playoff push. TrueHoop's Henry Abbott captured the mood back then.
Deng didn't feel comfortable, so his agent arranged for an outside opinion. And suddenly that day-to-day injury the Bulls couldn't believe would keep Deng out of action turned into a stress fracture serious enough to require months of rest to heal. Deng didn't play again that season. He was eventually cleared for basketball activities in July. The Bulls said Deng wasn't really injured, and told him to play. A different doctor -- the correct doctor, in this case -- told Deng he was really injured, and that he shouldn't run, jump or cut on his leg for four months.
In Game 3 of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, Omer Asik broke his leg. We're not talking about a stress fracture here: he broke his leg. Somehow, he got cleared to play by team doctors in Game 4. He lasted two minutes. And didn't play again until December. Based on the coverage of that incident, Asik wanted to "tough it out." No one with an MD after their name stopped him.
