When he landed on the floor, so many thoughts went through Randy Brown’s mind.
“I was like, `Here we go again,’ ” Brown said. “I knew it was another sprained ankle but I was hoping it wasn’t more serious than it is. I just came down on somebody’s foot and turned it. The same old bum ankle. Here we go again.”
Brown turned his right ankle in the second quarter Friday against the Atlanta Hawks. He tried to start the second half but was in too much pain. X-rays were negative, but Brown is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Raptors at Air Canada Centre.
With Ron Harper (knee) and Toni Kukoc (back) already out, Brown’s injury would be another blow to the struggling Bulls (8-20).
“We’re beaten up,” coach Tim Floyd said. “Other teams go through it. We’re learning a lot about our new guys right now.”
With Brown out, the Bulls squandered what had been a 17-point lead and were dealt another tough loss. It was apparent that young players Keith Booth, Kornel David and Charles Jones weren’t ready to shoulder the load.
“The triangle doesn’t look quite the same when Randy’s not out there,” Floyd said. “I hope it isn’t for a lengthy period of time because we definitely felt the effects of it.”
After a day of therapy Saturday, Brown said he hopes to suit up. The Raptors (13-14) beat the Bulls by 23 points at the United Center last week.
“Given what’s already happened, I’d like to try to play,” Brown said.
Walking wounded: Brent Barry turned his ankle against the Raptors last week, in the same game in which Kukoc strained his back. Barry also is nursing a sore heel, but said he’d play through the injuries.
“I’m banged up, but I don’t know any players in our league who aren’t at this point in the year,” he said. “There are little nicks and things that you have to play with and I have to deal with those things and still go out and do my job.”
Harper, who was put on the injured list Friday because of his hyperextended right knee, has to miss at least five games. He said he probably will return for the April 6 game in Cleveland.
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“That’s the game I’m hoping I might be able to play in,” he said. “I haven’t done anything since I got hurt. It takes 10 days (for the knee) to drain and just get strong again. It’s not like I’m going to go out there just and start playing. I’ve got to get a little bit stronger.”
Losing ugly: Without Brown, Harper and Kukoc, the Bulls turned the ball over 22 times against Atlanta.
“We had a lot of youth out there,” Floyd said. “Keith Booth, this is essentially like his rookie year. Charles Jones, Kornel David–the whole flow of the triangle, when we get three of those new guys in there at one time, doesn’t look quite the same. We’ve been trying to play them one or two at a time.
“By and large we’re proud of our guys with how hard they played. We just shot ourselves in the foot with some needless turnovers late.”