Category: Bulls News

Billy Donovan discusses need for improved preparation for Coby White

Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan spoke about Coby White’s injury and his need for preparation.

Despite their lack of moves for the past three years, the Chicago Bulls need to be planning for the future. Guys like DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic won’t be around forever, and the Bulls likely aren’t going to win any championships with their current core. In turn, it’s all about tomorrow in Chicago.

Leading the way for their next-up group is Coby White, who has enjoyed a breakout season this year. However, a recent injury scare will have White thinking about his preparation process. He’s been playing more minutes than ever, and the Bulls will need him to be at his best every step of the way.

Head coach Billy Donovan recently spoke about how the injury will help define White’s offseason preparation moving forward, especially with his new expectations. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“For Coby, it’s been an eye-opening experience in a lot of ways,” Donovan said. “He has an incredible threshold to fight through things. But coming into the season, I don’t know if he would’ve anticipated the number of minutes that he’s gotten this year. … That’s part of his evolution as a player.”

White has been awesome this year, and he’s still getting better.

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DeMar DeRozan set to put Bulls’ blowout loss to Mavericks behind them

DeMar DeRozan emphasized the importance of putting the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Dallas Mavericks behind them.

As the season nears its end, the Chicago Bulls are really only fighting for postseason positioning with the Atlanta Hawks. It’s almost certain that they’ll be in the 9/10 game of the Play-In Tournament, but it’s unclear whether or not they will have homecourt advantage for that game, as they are being contested by Atlanta.

With that in mind, every game is important for the Bulls down the stretch. Unfortunately, they got blown out of the water on Monday night. The Dallas Mavericks were in town and earned a 127-92 win over the Bulls, as Luka Doncic and their big men, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, completely took over.

However, DeMar DeRozan stated the importance of putting that game behind them. (H/t Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune)

“I feel like every team is due for a butt-kicking of some sort,” DeRozan said. “We’ve got to let [the Mavericks game] be our last and only one the rest of the season.”

Chicago will have a chance to bounce back on Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers.

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Bulls were ‘humiliated’ by Luka Doncic in loss to Mavericks

Luka Doncic “humiliated” the Chicago Bulls in their 127-92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

It’s been a weird season for the Chicago Bulls. While an ugly start didn’t give fans much hope for a fruitful season, the Bulls are still firmly in the Play-In race, and they’ll almost assuredly be in the 9/10 game. They’ve been sneakily solid ever since their rough start, yet they still don’t have the talent to compete with the top teams around the league.

That last point was evidently clear on Monday night, as the Bulls suffered a blowout loss at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. Former Bull Daniel Gafford and rookie big man Dereck Lively II played well, but it was ultimately the play of superstar guard Luka Doncic that caused Chicago’s demise.

The CHGO Sports YouTube channel discussed the game and how the Bulls were “humiliated” by Doncic in the 127-92 loss.

Doncic finished the game with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists while shooting 9-of-23 from the field and 6-of-15 from beyond the three-point arc.

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Alex Caruso discusses challenge of guarding Luka Doncic

Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso talked about the challenge of guarding Luka Doncic.

One of the highlights of this Chicago Bulls’ season has been Alex Caruso. Last year, he made the All-Defensive First Team, and while his offense has taken a huge leap this season, his defense is still the primary way he affects the game. He’s constantly being challenged with guarding opposing teams’ best players for the Bulls, and Monday night was no different.

Caruso was tasked with guarding Luka Doncic on Monday. The Slovenian superstar is having an incredible season this year, and unfortunately for the Bulls, he took over the game. Alongside the play of Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, the Mavericks took down the Bulls.

After the game, Caruso spoke about the challenge of guarding Doncic. (H/t Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune)

“He’s a unique player and can do a lot of things,” Caruso said. “He’s 6-7 and 200-whatever playing the point. He can play pick-and-roll, can play iso, he’s a three-level scorer. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He’s one of the best players in the league for a reason. It’s always fun to play against some of the best players every night. Went from guarding Steph to Kawhi Leonard on the road in back-to-back games, and to come off a week of guarding Zion (Williamson) and Giannis (Antetokounmpo). For me, every night is a new, interesting challenge, and Luka’s diversity just brings another one.”

Caruso finished the game with four points, five rebounds, and three assists on 1-of-6 shooting on all three-pointers.

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Billy Donovan pinpoints what went wrong in Bulls loss to Mavericks

After the Chicago Bulls’ 127-92 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Billy Donovan spoke about what went wrong.

As the Chicago Bulls continue to push forward toward their inevitable place in the Play-In Tournament, they need every win they can get. It’s unlikely they get up to the eighth seed and equally as unlikely they fall out of the Play-In altogether. However, they are in a battle with the Atlanta Hawks for homecourt advantage in the first Play-In game.

On Monday night, the Bulls suffered a brutal blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks. They fell by a score of 127-92, as Luka Doncic and company completely picked them apart. More specifically, it was Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II who caused the Bulls’ demise.

After the game, head coach Billy Donovan spoke about how the Mavericks’ success in the paint was what hurt Chicago the most.

“We gave up a lot of rolls to the basket and offensive rebounds,” Donovan said via ESPN. “We’ve got to be more pulled in than we were. … We kind of were too worried with getting back out to that 3-point line instead of saying, hey, we’re gonna take away the roll.”

Gafford finished the night with 22 points while Lively had 20.

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DeMar DeRozan on Lonzo Ball: ‘It’s always great to see him’

Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan recently spoke about his interactions with Lonzo Ball.

When the Chicago Bulls shook up their roster in 2021, the front office made a clear decision to push for competitiveness. They were sick of rebuilding and chose to add talent. At the beginning of the year, that choice paid off. They were one of the best teams in the East, but then Lonzo Ball went down with an injury.

It’s been over two full years since then, and Ball has still yet to play in a game for the Bulls since. And until now, there haven’t been many positive updates regarding his potential return. However, it was recently reported that he’s been cleared for “advanced rehab activities.”

DeMar DeRozan recently spoke about what his conversations are like with Ball, and how it’s great when he gets to see him in person. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“It’s always great to see him,” DeRozan said. “The word[s] that he comes with is such a positive, uplifting feeling that he brings, so whenever you’re around, it’s good to see him. Just a reminder [of] the type of special person he is.”

Ball may not be able to play yet, but his spirits are high.

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Chicago Bulls bench is the team’s biggest issue this season

The Chicago Bulls’ bench has been underwhelming this season.

The Chicago Bulls started this season off rough, but since then, they’ve picked up the pace. After a 5-14 start to the year, they’ve climbed all the way back up into the race for the Play-In Tournament, even though they’ve had to deal with some big-time injuries along the way.

However, amidst all the chaos, Chicago’s starters have played pretty well. Coby White and DeMar DeRozan are logging a ton of minutes, and when Andre Drummond had to step into the starting lineup, he was pretty solid. Unfortunately, Chicago’s bench unit just hasn’t lived up to the same standard as the first five.

The Chicago Bulls Central YouTube channel recently discussed why the bench unit is the team’s biggest Achilles heel.

Adding better players to come in off the bench could do wonders for the Bulls as they continue to push forward in the coming seasons, as they clearly want to remain competitive.

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Ayo Dosunmu discusses Bulls’ disappointment after loss to Clippers

After the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the LA Clippers, Ayo Dosunmu discussed their disappointment.

It’s been a solid month of March so far for the Chicago Bulls. As they attempt to push for a place in the Eastern Conference playoffs, their play is ramping up at just the right time. Unfortunately, they capped off an otherwise successful road trip with a loss on Saturday, losing 112-102 to the LA Clippers.

Heading into the game, the Bulls had won three in a row with a chance to go 4-0 on their Western Conference road trip. They took down the Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, and Golden State Warriors in three straight games, but they couldn’t finish off their undefeated trip.

After the loss to LA, Ayo Dosunmu discussed the Bulls’ disappointment with the loss. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“It’s a bummer because we had the opportunity to go 4-0,” Dosunmu said. “Our confidence is high because we aren’t leaving here like it’s a moral victory. We understand we can’t get it back, but we understand we was just good enough to be right there to win this game.

Chicago is in a good spot, but they would have loved to beat the Clippers.

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Billy Donovan praises DeMar DeRozan for ‘old-school mentality’

Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan recently praised DeMar DeRozan for his “old-school mentality.”

The Chicago Bulls have played in a ton of close games this year. They’ve played in their fair share of blowouts, too. But no matter what type of game they’re playing in, Chicago needs all of their top players in every game just to have a chance, as they aren’t one of the top teams in terms of talent.

They aren’t the Boston Celtics, they aren’t the Denver Nuggets, they aren’t even the New Orleans Pelicans or New York Knicks. The Bulls are fighting and scrapping for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs, and they’ll have to get there by way of making it through the Play-In Tournament.

Luckily for the Bulls, they have stars who want to play in every game, headlined by DeMar DeRozan. Head coach Billy Donovan recently praised DeRozan for this mentality. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“He’s got an old-school mentality,” Donovan said. “It’s: ‘Line up and play. I did it my whole life. I love the game. I want to be out there as much as I can.’ And I don’t take it for granted.”

DeRozan has appeared in 60 games this season, playing a league-leading 37.8 minutes per contest.

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DeMar DeRozan discusses necessary Bulls mindset after win over Jazz

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Utah Jazz, DeMar DeRozan discussed the importance of having the right mindset.

Few things have come easy for the Chicago Bulls this season. From an early-season slump to season-ending injuries to Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams, the Bulls have been put through the wringer. Despite all that, they still have a chance to make the playoffs this year by way of the Play-In Tournament.

With that in mind, they need to be putting forth their maximum effort on a nightly basis just for a chance at a chance to make the playoffs. At this point in the season, every single win is important. And on Wednesday night, the Bulls eeked out a win over the Utah Jazz by a score of 119-117.

After the game, DeMar DeRozan spoke about the importance of having the right mindset will be for Chicago down the stretch of the season.

“We just got to stay the course, do what we need to do, pull out the victory and carry on,” DeRozan said via ESPN. “Every single game is going to be tough.”

This may have not been the best season for the Bulls, but they’ll never stop fighting.

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