New Bulls forward Tristan Thompson ready for Grayson Allen, Bucks after Alex Caruso foul
Tristan Thompson is ready for Grayson Allen and the Milwaukee Bucks to step into the United Center on Friday night.
Though Thompson wasn’t a member of the Bulls when Allen was suspended after a hard foul on Alex Caruso in January, he is all ready to defend Caruso and the rest of his new teammates if need be.
“S**t, take one of my dogs out like that, we’re gonna have issues,” Thompson said on Thursday. “You gotta set the tone. That’s what Bulls basketball is about, setting the tone. What he did affected one of our guys, and I don’t think anyone should forget about that. … I think guys have [it] in the back of their head.
“And if guys wanna play chippy, let’s play chippy. I like it. I like a little blood and sweat, so I like it.”
Thompson has played in four games for the Bulls, which marked his third team so far this season after short stints with the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings.
Grayson Allen suspended after flagrant foul on Alex Caruso
Allen was ejected from January’s game between the two teams in Milwaukee after he was called for a Flagrant 2 foul after he drilled Caruso while Caruso was going up for a layup.
Allen hit Caruso hard on the arm, which sent him down to the court hard. Caruso immediately grabbed his wrist and stayed on the ground for several minutes before he left the game.
Grayson Allen foul on Alex Caruso. Replays included. pic.twitter.com/1ixcve9i0s
— Ⓜ️𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕤𝔻 ▶️ (@_MarcusD3_) January 22, 2022
Caruso then underwent surgery for a broken left wrist a few days later. He hasn’t played since.
“It was really bad. It was really, really bad,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said of the play after the game. “For Alex to be in the air like that for him to take him down like that, he could have ended his career. And [Allen] has a history of this. That to me was really dangerous.”
Allen was then suspended for one game, something the Bucks said they “disagree with.”
"Competition is tough and there’s things that happen in the games that are unfortunate," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters after the suspension was announced. "I know that Caruso is gonna miss some time, and I feel for him. I don’t want that for any of our opponents, for anybody. But there’s nothing that was done intentional.
"Grayson’s been nothing but great for us. The way the guys feel about him, that’s how you know the most, is how a locker room feels about you.”
Based on how the last matchup went, and Thompson’s comments, Friday’s game is bound to be a physical one in Chicago.
