Chicago Bulls: 5 takeaways from Nikola Mirotic-Bobby Portis incident

NEW ORLEANS, LA - OCTOBER 03: Head coach Fred Hoiberg of the Chicago Bulls reacts during a preseason game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on October 3, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

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5. This is not the first time Portis and Mirotic have been involved in a heated exchange

For Bulls fans that have followed this team over the past few seasons, the recent exchange may have come as somewhat of a surprise. As it turns out, though, this isn’t the first time these two players have engaged in heated exchanges with one another.

In fact, according NBC Sports Chicago’s Vincent Goodwill, the physical play between the two players dates back to the 2015-16 campaign, the year the Bulls selected Portis with the No. 22 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

This has been three years in the making, a source said. Mirotic has broken bones in his face, apparently instigated, and Portis punched him
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) October 17, 2017

With Cameron Payne (foot surgery) Kris Dunn (index finger) and Zach LaVine (knee) already nursing injuries, the last thing this team needed was adding two more pieces of the puzzle to the list of players who will miss a stretch of the season.

Being that the both players are considered important pieces to the Bulls’ long-term future, one can only wonder how the team will handle the situation once both players are back in the rotation.

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