Bobby Portis returns to practice, but Bulls road to recovery remains long

Both Justin Holiday and Fred Hoiberg said Bobby Portis practiced Friday with the same work ethic and spirit that the third-year forward typically brings to the Bulls.

But, really, nothing about the Bulls’ preparations for Saturday’s home opener against the Spurs was normal.

Not with Portis still suspended for seven more games for punching Nikola Mirotic in the face. And not with Mirotic still at home, in bad shape physically and emotionally, dealing with a concussion and the two fractures in his face that will sideline him another four to six weeks.

“I don’t necessarily think this is a situation for us to get past. I think it’s a situation that obviously needs to be brought to the forefront. It’s a situation that needs for those two to come together and be brothers again,” Holiday said bluntly. “Games allow us to see what we have as a team and what we can do. But I wouldn’t say now that we’re playing games we’re just past it. It’s a situation that needs to be fixed.”

Portis’ previous apology and a team meeting addressing the incident is all well and good as a very minor Step One. But it’s incomplete given that Mirotic remains at home, dealing not only with his injuries but the loss of the conditioning and bulked up physique he had come to camp in to win the starting job over Portis and rookie Lauri Markkanen.

“He’s still very sore,” said Hoiberg, who has communicated with Mirotic via text. “I think every day he’ll get a little better.”

Even while acknowledging his positional battles with B.J. Armstrong and Michael Jordan’s occasional physical flare-ups from his playing days, executive vice president John Paxson used the word “unprecedented” to describe the situation. Indeed, it’s a tricky dynamic the Bulls are trying to navigate—supporting both players even though they’re at different stages of recovery.

While it’s obvious Portis crossed the ultimate line with the one thrown punch, Paxson has acknowledged Mirotic’s aggressive role in the incident leading up to the final act. The fact Portis is practicing during his suspension could be read in some ways as a nod to that.

“He’s our teammate and we’re glad he’s back working out with us,” Holiday said. “And we’re praying and hoping for a speedy recovery for Niko so he can get back out there with us too.

“Bobby came into today like Bobby. We’re not quite sure what he’s thinking mentally. We can’t assume that. But he came in and when he got into practice he worked hard like he always does, and that’s the most important for our team right now.”

Holiday said the team will support both players. But ultimately, Holiday said, Portis and Mirotic will have to plot the road to recovery for the team to follow along.

“They say sometimes you need time to heal,” Holiday said. “I’ve never really been in that position personally myself, and those two are two different people than me. But we have to think about both situations in this. One guy is trying to get back healthy.

“I wish we could just fix this the right way, but that’s not the case. I think it will take some time. And then however those guys decide to do that, us as a team supporting them and figuring it out, we will. I think we’re going to take our time with it and hope for the best.”

Layups: Denzel Valentine didn’t practice because of a sore knee and is listed as questionable for Saturday. … With Kris Dunn still out, Hoiberg confirmed Kay Felder has replaced Ryan Arcidiacono as the backup point guard. … The NBA’s annual roster survey listed the Bulls as the least experienced team with an average of 2.47 years per player. The Cavaliers are the most experienced at 8.47 years per player.

kcjohnson@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kcjhoop

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