Mike Dunleavy to miss 8-10 weeks after procedure on back

He will miss 8-10 weeks, so there’s a chance he may not return to the court until the new year.

Chicago Bulls starting small forward Mike Dunleavy will miss at least two months after undergoing surgery on his lower back, the team announced Friday afternoon.

The operation, which was performed at Rush University Medical Center, was done to relieve back discomfort Dunleavy had experienced over the summer. As such, Dunleavy underwent a “microdiscectomy” procedure after trying several more conservative remedies. The timing is unfortunate, but it was imperative that all conservative measures were exhausted prior to making this decision. If Dunleavy is out until the end of November – which is just more than nine weeks from now – he would miss the first 15 games of the regular season. Last season, in 63 games, the 35-year old shot 43.5 percent from three-point range, averaging 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per outing.

Dunleavy’s absence will present a golden opportunity for second-year pro Doug McDermott to step up under rookie coach Fred Hoiberg.

As the Chicago Bulls prepare to open training camp next week, it appears that they’re going to have to begin the 2015-16 season without Mike Dunleavy, their starting small forward.

Either way, Chicago will need to find efficiency and steadiness from three-point distance with Dunleavy out.