The Chicago Bulls have been an absolute mess this season and you can trace their fall from grace back to January. That's the last time point guard Lonzo Ball appeared in a game for the Bulls and now we're almost a year removed from Ball's original knee surgery and no one knows if he will be able to play during any point of the 2022-23 season.

A few weeks ago, the Chicago Tribune wrote about Ball's attempt to return to action. That was a brutal update, as head coach Billy Donovan said he did not know if Ball would come back this season. My biggest takeaway from that story was that the Bulls apparently do not even know what the exact issue is that is causing Ball to still experience pain in his knee after his two surgeries.

This past week, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, THE NBA insider, confirmed what we had already been hearing about Ball. It's not good and there is no guarantee that Ball will play for the Bulls this season.

Here's Woj on ESPN this past Monday, talking about the Bulls waiting to see where Ball's progress is at during the All-Star break in February. The thing is, even if Ball is feeling better, the Bulls might not want to push it if they continue to be out of the playoff picture.

So, the best case scenario for the Bulls is that hopefully by the middle of February, Ball is healthy and they're in a much better spot than they are now in the standings.

Lonzo Ball Injury Timeline

Jan. 14, 2022: Suffers injury in 136-98 loss to the Warriors.
Jan. 15: Ball ruled out with knee soreness against Celtics.
Jan. 19: Ball not responding to initial treatment plan.
Jan. 20: Ball misses two more games and news breaks that he’ll have surgery on his left knee.
Jan. 28: Ball undergoes arthroscopic knee surgery and is expected to return in 6-8 weeks.
March 12: Ball says he feels good and wants to get on the court as soon as possible.
March 21: Bulls “pull back” on Ball’s rehab after he experiences discomfort in his knee while running.
March 31: Ball restarts rehab process.
April 6: Ball is still experiencing pain and is officially shut down for the rest of the 2021-22 season.
April 28: Ball’s recovery at a standstill.
May 18: Lavar Ball, Lonzo’s father, says Bulls started Lonzo’s rehab too quickly after surgery.
June 23: Bulls GM Marc Eversley says he’s hopeful Ball will be ready for training camp.
Sept. 21: Bulls announce Ball will have another arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
Sept. 28: Ball undergoes surgery and will be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks.
Nov. 25: Bulls insider Sam Smith says Ball could be back by the All-Star break.
Dec. 1: Ball still hasn’t run at full speed and isn’t cleared for contact.

In 35 games with the Bulls last season, Ball averaged 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.8 steals and was shooting 42.3% from 3-point range on more than 7 attempts per game. The Bulls were 27-13, when Ball last played and the team went on to go 19-23 to finish the season without him. Then, they were eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, losing by double digits three times.

Now, the Bulls are struggling to stay ahead of the Washington Wizards and Orlando Magic, being closer to those teams than they are to the sixth-seeded New York Knicks. Bad times for the Bulls and it's difficult to see things changing for the better any time soon.

By the time the trade deadline passes, the Bulls might shut down Lonzo Ball and could possibly send Zach LaVine to the Los Angeles Lakers.