When the Chicago Bulls open up the 2015-16 NBA season they will be without forward Mike Dunleavy.
Dunleavy had a microdiscectomy procedure Friday and will miss 8-10 weeks, the team announced. The 35-year-old had some back pain this summer and it got progressively worse, leading to the decision of surgery.
The forward signed a three-year deal to return to the Bulls in July after receiving interest from other NBA teams. He averaged 9.4 points, including shooting 41 percent from three-point range in 63 games with the Bulls last season. If he is out eight weeks, he will miss 12 games in the regular season. If he misses the 10 weeks, it would mean 16 regular season games he would sit out.
The injury means players like Tony Snell, Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic have a big opportunity to earn some early playing time for new head coach Fred Hoiberg.
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