Chicago – Chicago Bulls goalkeeper Lonzo Pool Thursday said he is still “on a standstill” in recovery from a meniscus tear in his left knee. He will meet with a knee specialist next week to determine the next step in his recovery.

Paul underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee in January, and the team released a six- to eight-week recovery schedule. But his knee never responded properly to the team’s attempts to ramp up its basketball activity in mid-March before shutting down in early April.

“We’ve been letting things calm down a bit over the last two weeks, I’ve been putting in it really hard trying to get back as fast as I can,” Paul said in an interview with his exit at the team training center on Thursday. “But like I said, it’s a dead end. I’m still in pain. We should fix that this summer for sure.”

Paul, who played his last game on January 14, was not sure if he would need another surgery during the break.

“I hope not,” he said. “I don’t want to have another one. But if that’s what it takes, then I pretty much have no choice at this point.”

Paul underwent surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his same knee in July 2018, but returned to start training camp while on the Los Angeles Lakers. He also had a bone bruise in his knee but wasn’t sure if that was or if a meniscus tear was causing the discomfort.

It’s the same tears, said Paul, “that’s the second time I’ve torn them.” “Obviously something needs to be addressed this summer. More leg exercises as opposed to the upper body probably. I’m going to work with doctors and strength coaches and I’m going to do what I have to do to get healthy.”

Ball was limited to 35 games in his first season with Chicago, a run low for games he played in his five-year career. He averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while shooting 42.3% of 3.

“It’s very frustrating,” Paul said of the way his season ended. “This year, we had a lot of promise that I felt. We had a lot of goals that I don’t think were met, mainly because of a lot of health issues. You can’t change the past. I think everything happens for a reason. For me, It is now about moving forward and preparing for next year.”