After falling in Olympic play, Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic is A-OK

Kelly Dwyer
Mirotic averaged 11.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in eight Olympic games. (Getty Images)
Mirotic averaged 11.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in eight Olympic games. (Getty Images)

Luckily for all involved, the 2016 Olympics passed without any major injuries in the Men’s Basketball realm. There will be a bit of fatigue – San Antonio Spurs fans were no doubt fretting over every bead of sweat Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and especially Pau Gasol dropped mid-August – but once again returning NBA players managed to escape the Olympic turn without a significant malady.

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The streak of good luck seemed to run out early on the Olympiad’s final day on Sunday, though, when Team Spain’s Nikola Mirotic went crashing to the floor following an entanglement during his team’s (infamous) bronze medal win over Australia. The Chicago Bulls forward stayed behind in the play while crutching his right knee in pain on the floor for several minutes after a collision, leading some to fear that he had torn ligaments in that knee in the penultimate game of the 2016 tournament after working unscathed through seven prior contests.

When Mirotic returned to action a few minutes after being helped to the bench, however, the bearded forward appeared to be in good spirits. Following the medal win, Bulls broadcaster Chuck Swirsky sent out this tweet to Nikola, via Pro Basketball Talk:

Mirotic responded with an A-OK sign …

… which seems appropriate, given his celebratory mood following the medal ceremony:

Players can play on a sprained ligament or even a torn ACL prior to the swelling setting in. It’s painful and you hear a pop, but sometimes it takes an MRI just to make sure of the worst case scenario.

With two knees banging together? That hurts like hell, and a banged knee was well worth the time (and concern from Team Spain and Chicago Bulls fans) that Mirotic spent on the floor writhing in pain.

Mirotic will be counted upon as Chicago’s starting power forward in 2016-17, as the team reels from the losses of Joakim Noah and Team Spain teammate Pau Gasol. He’ll also be counted upon as the team’s go-to floor stretcher with starters Robin Lopez, Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo (health-willing) surrounding him.

This is a little frightening for Bulls fans.

Nikola shot 39 percent from behind the arc last year in his second NBA season, but he was once again plagued by extreme bouts of inconsistency – as was the case during his hot/not especially hot turn with Spain in the Olympics (where he shot over 35 percent overall on the shortened line). He’ll have Taj Gibson once again spelling him (and Lopez) in the front court, but Mirotic struggled badly in the rebounding department in his second NBA campaign, and was muscled out of several chances at caroms during his time up against Team USA in the Olympic semifinals.

He will have health on his side, though, despite the terrifying concern that lasted for those few minutes before he was helped to the bench on Sunday.

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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!