The Milwaukee Bucks will face the tall task of trying to lock up a top-six seed in the NBA Eastern Conference without one of their most important role players. Power forward Bobby Portis, who is averaging 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this year, has been suspended 25 games by the NBA for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.
Without Portis, the only big man who can back up Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez is newly acquired center Jericho Sims. Kyle Kuzma, who is also a recent addition, will need to step up as well. Without Portis, Milwaukee’s rebounding is very questionable, especially when Giannis is not on the floor.
The Agent for Milwaukee Bucks Forward Bobby Portis Explains Failed Test Was the Result of an Accident
Per a report from Shams Charania of ESPN, Portis’ failed drug test was the result of him accidentally taken a pain medication with a similar name to the one that he was prescribed:
“I am devastated for Bobby right now because he made an honest mistake and the ramifications of it are incredibly significant,” Bartelstein told ESPN.
“Bobby unintentionally took a pain medication called tramadol, thinking he was taking a pain medication called Toradol. Toradol is an approved pain medication that he has used previously and that teams and players use for pain and inflammation at times. Tramadol, however, is not an approved pain medication and was just recently added to the banned substance list this past spring. The tramadol pill he took came from an assistant of his, with a valid prescription for the painkiller, which he mistakenly told Bobby was Toradol. This was, again, an honest mistake that was made because of the similarity in the names of the drugs and the fact they both serve a very similar purpose. Bobby was using this anti-inflammatory pain-reducing medication to deal with an elbow injury he had this past fall and believed he was taking Toradol to alleviate some pain in preparation for that night’s game.”
Mistake or not, the result is the same. The Bucks have 29 games left in the regular season, and they now must play the next 25 of them without Portis.
The good news is he will be back in time for the NBA Playoffs. The bad news is that Milwaukee’s road to a top-six seed just got more difficult.
More Milwaukee Bucks News from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
- “25 Games for Tramadol?” Bucks Fans Question Harsh Punishment for Bobby Portis
- Bucks Fans’ Instant Reactions to Bobby Portis Suspension
- Bucks’ Damian Lillard Eligible for Big Payday This Season
- Bucks Fans Are Furious with Latest Giannis Antetokounmpo Report
- Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Wants 1-on-1 Moment vs Khris Middleton
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