Category: Bulls News

Bulls’ Alex Caruso reminisces on ‘what could’ve been’ with Lakers

Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso revealed that he sometimes thinks about “what could’ve been” with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso signed with the team in the summer of 2021 after spending the first portion of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, who decided not to re-sign him. Caruso won a championship with the Lakers in his third season in the league, acting as a crucial playoff rotation piece during their run.

Fast forward to the present day, Caruso’s Bulls are in the race for the Play-In Tournament – the same spot the Lakers are in. The biggest difference between the two clubs is top-end talent, as Los Angeles has LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and a title in the last four seasons.

During a recent interview with Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports, Caruso said that he sometimes thinks about “what could’ve been” with the Lakers.

“Yeah, definitely,” Caruso said. “Just because of how well I played with them when I was here. I know how I supported them. And I’ve gotten better. I was expecting myself to get better. It’s actually what had to move me on. I kept getting better and eventually I was at a point where I couldn’t stay here. I definitely have always thought about it because those guys [James and Davis] are my brothers. We’ve been through a lot together. Always good seeing them. Every now and then you think about what could’ve been.”

The Lakers could really use a player like Caruso right now to help run the offense while maintaining their top-notch defense, but recent rumblings have indicated that the Bulls have a sky-high asking price in potential trades for the 3-and-D specialist.

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Billy Donovan: Bulls ‘can be upset about’ tough loss to Suns

Head coach Billy Donovan said it’s okay for the Chicago Bulls to be upset about their 115-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

The Chicago Bulls have managed to mitigate an ugly start to the season with a wild turnaround spearheaded by the likes of Coby White, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic. Zach LaVine missed a ton of time with a foot injury, and he’s now back in the injury report dealing with an ankle sprain. Despite that, the Bulls have prevailed.

They’ve competed in a ton of close games, and Monday night marked another one, as they dropped a tight contest to the Phoenix Suns by a score of 115-113. Kevin Durant nailed a contested mid-range jumper to put the Suns up, and while DeRozan had a chance to win it for the Bulls, it was a wild, chuck-it-up three that didn’t fall.

After the game, head coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls have a right to be upset about this game, unlike some of their others, because they fought hard and were in it until the bitter end.

“There’s been some games this year — quite honestly — that we’ve lost that we have no right to be upset about,” Donovan said via ESPN. “This is a game that you can be upset because you poured your heart and soul into it and came up short.”

Chicago was up by as many as 23 points in the third quarter, but Durant absolutely took over the game in the fourth. He scored 17 of his 43 points in the final frame alone, drowning the Bulls after a solid showing.

The Bulls definitely wish they could replay the final 12 minutes of their loss to the Suns.

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DeMar DeRozan says Bulls completely trust Coby White at end of games

DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls have complete trust in Coby White at the end of games.

With Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan on the roster, the Chicago Bulls have two of the better shot-creators in the NBA. Both guys have made multiple All-Star teams and come up clutch when the Bulls need them most at the end of games. But they won’t be around forever in Chicago.

LaVine is injured and has missed significant time this season, and DeRozan is in the final year of his contract. And in the absence of LaVine, fifth-year point guard Coby White has stepped up in a big way. But while White has been a revelation this season, LaVine and DeRozan are still getting most of the end-game looks.

After the Bulls’ tough 115-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, DeRozan was asked if White should be getting the ball more at the end of games. He said yes.

“Yeah, no doubt. Without a doubt,” DeRozan said via Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. “If he’s got it rolling, or even if he looks at me and says he wants it, it wouldn’t be no problem. Take it. We all- That’s how much trust we got in him. I think, even tonight, coach was calling a play, and Cob wanted to run something else. And coach said, ‘You got to say so, too, if you want to run that.’ He kind of changed the play, and Cob came down, was aggressive, and made something happen out of it. But that’s the trust we got in him. Whatever it is. If it’s take the last shot or run the play, whatever it may be.”

DeRozan got the final shot in the Bulls’ loss to the Suns, but he and the Bulls are clearly confident in White.

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Coby White has message on Kevin Durant after Bulls loss to Suns

After the Chicago Bulls’ tough loss to the Phoenix Suns, Coby White had some high praise for Kevin Durant.

Heading into their Monday night contest against the Phoenix Suns, the Chicago Bulls had won two games in a row and were looking to make it three. The Bulls were up by as many as 23 points in the third quarter, but the Suns fought back and made it a close game by the end of the night.

DeMar DeRozan tied the game at 113-113 with 23 seconds left in the game, but the Suns have some stars of their own. Kevin Durant got the ball running left and nailed a double-pump mid-range jump shot in between Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso, who tried desperately to contest it.

DeRozan had a chance to win the game with a wild running three-pointer at the end, but it didn’t fall, and the Suns picked up a 115-113 victory. After the game, Coby White had some high praise for Durant.

“Kevin Durant was Kevin Durant,” White said via ESPN. “Yeah — he’s tough.”

Durant ended the night with 43 points, six rebounds, eight assists, one steal, and two blocks while shooting 16-of-32 from the field and 6-of-15 from behind the three-point line.

As for White, he finished the game with 26 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals while shooting 10-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc.

Phoenix just barely scraped out a win thanks largely in part to Durant’s impressive late-game performance. He scored 17 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter alone, shooting 7-of-9 from the floor and 3-of-5 from distance in the final frame.

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Patrick Williams talks Bulls’ resilience after huge win over Grizzlies

After the Chicago Bulls’ win 125-96 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Patrick Williams spoke about the resilience.

The Chicago Bulls have fought through a ton of injuries this season. Zach LaVine missed over a month, Torrey Craig is out with a long-term ailment, and Nikola Vucevic also missed some games. Add in the fact that they started the season at 5-14, and it’s impressive they’ve managed to climb into the race for the Play-In Tournament.

Chicago has won six of their last eight games and currently sits at 21-23 on the season. Unfortunately, LaVine is now slated to miss 1-2 weeks of action with an ankle sprain, meaning the Bulls will have to once again make do without him in the lineup.

Despite that, they picked up a big 125-96 win over an injury-riddled Memphis Grizzlies squad on Saturday night. After the game, Patrick Williams spoke about the importance of resilience and togetherness while battling through injuries.

“You just find a way,” Williams said via ESPN. “The end goal is to win the game (no matter) who’s playing, who’s not playing. That’s your job as a team, that’s your job as a player is to win games. We’re all trying to find a way to do that. Would love to have him here. Can’t wait ‘til he gets back. But we’ve got to hold down the fort.”

Williams had a nice night against the Grizzlies. He put up 15 points, five rebounds, two steals, and one block while shooting 4-of-11 from the field and 3-of-7 from behind the three-point line.

However, while Williams played well, it was a team effort that helped the Bulls to a win on Saturday. Seven different players finished with 10 or more points.

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Bruce Brown discusses Raptors debut against Bulls after trade

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Toronto Raptors, Bruce Brown discussed his debut for his new team.

The Chicago Bulls were up north to take on the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night, and they walked away with a 116-110 victory over the Dinosaurs. Led by Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls absolutely dominated the paint, outscoring the Raptors on the interior 74-50. Toronto held on until the final few moments, but that’s when Chicago pulled away.

It was a solid win for the Bulls, but the Raptors are in a state if disarray right now. They traded OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks earlier this year, and just the other day, they moved Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, Kira Lewis Jr., and three first-round picks.

After the game, Brown spoke about his Raptors debut, explaining his thought process while he was on the floor for his new team for the first time.

“I didn’t know the plays,” Brown said via ESPN. “I was just trying to be in the right spots.”

Brown finished the game with 15 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal while shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 1-of-3 from behind the three-point line.

There’s still a chance that Brown gets flipped to a new team ahead of this year’s trade deadline, but for now, he’s in Toronto and will help their new-look core.

As for the Bulls, they could have some moves to make ahead of the trade deadline, too. Recent reports have indicated that the team would like to trade Zach LaVine, and past that, there’s still a chance more players could be on the move.

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Nikola Vucevic discusses dominant showing in Bulls win over Raptors

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Toronto Raptors, Nikola Vucevic spoke about his play during the contest.

The Chicago Bulls traveled up north on Thursday night for a date with the new-look Toronto Raptors. After trading OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks a few weeks ago, they just moved two-time All-NBA forward Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers, completely shuffling their roster around with Scottie Barnes at the center of it.

Unfortunately for the Raptors, they weren’t able to take home a win in the face of a lot of movement, as the Bulls squeaked out a 116-110 victory that came down the final few minutes. However, while the game was close for the most part, the Bulls absolutely dominated the Raptors in one key area of the contest.

Chicago outscored Toronto 74-50 in the painted area. Big man Nikola Vucevic, who helped lead that charge, spoke about his part in the dominance after the game.

“I knew I had a little bit of a size advantage and I was trying to take advantage of it,” Vucevic said via ESPN.

The Bulls center finished the game with 24 points, 14 rebounds (including five on the offensive glass), seven assists, two steals, and one block while shooting 12-of-20 from the field (including 12-of-17 from inside the three-point arc).

With Jakob Poeltl still sidelined for the Raptors, two-way player Jontay Porter has been getting a ton of reps at the center spot, as have veteran big men Chris Boucher and Thaddeus Young.

Neither was able to keep up with Vucevic, however, as he led the way for the Bulls en route to their 20th win of the season.

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Billy Donovan on how Nikola Vucevic’s passing abilities help Bulls

Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan recently spoke about how important Nikola Vucevic’s passing has been this year.

It came as a shock to some when the Chicago Bulls decided to re-sign Nikola Vucevic to a new three-year contract this past summer. Many thought they would hit the reset button and change courses, but instead, they brought back the same core and added a couple of veteran pieces.

After a rough start to the year, the Bulls have improved. They’ve cemented themselves as a legitimate Play-In Tournament contender, and with Zach LaVine missing a bunch of time, Coby White and DeMar DeRozan have been pillars of their success. However, Vucevic’s play has also been a huge part of it.

Head coach Billy Donovan recently spoke about how his passing abilities have helped propel the Bulls’ offense this season. (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

“We’ve been able to do more things where he’s kind of initiating actions from the elbows,” Donovan said. “He likes a style for him offensively where he can do all those kinds of things. He can pick, he can pop, he can roll into the pocket, and he can kind of read those situations. I think he’s in a real good place. When Zach went down [with his injury], I thought he really helped us with our ball movement, and he normally generates and does that for us.”

So far this season, Vucevic is averaging 16.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 46.1% from the field and 27.2% from behind the three-point line.

While Vucevic could end up being a trade chip for the Bulls, he’s helping them win right now, and that’s what Donovan and the team care about most.

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Bulls’ Coby White details journey that led to breakout season

Chicago Bulls point guard Coby White recently spoke about the journey to his breakout season.

This season has been a weird one for the Chicago Bulls. They started the year with a 5-14 record, surging toward an obvious rebuild at the trade deadline. But since then, they’ve gone 14-9, climbing up the Eastern Conference standings and into the mix for the Play-In Tournament, and they’ve done so with some key players sidelined.

Zach LaVine missed over a month from the end of November to the start of January, and Nikola Vucevic missed some games, too. Despite that, the Bulls have persevered, and fifth-year guard Coby White deserves a ton of credit for their success, as he’s taken a massive leap this season.

During a recent chat with Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic, White spoke about the spiritual journey that helped lead to his breakout season.

“This summer, I took a different direction,” White told Mayberry. “Like, I always work hard on the court. But off the court, I never took the time to grow, I’ll say mentally, spiritually, those types of areas. So this summer I wanted to do things differently. So this summer I read, like, three books. And I hate reading. But just from a mental discipline standpoint. I called it a spiritual journey I went on this summer. Just trying to grow spiritually and mentally.”

So far this season, the 23-year-old is averaging 18.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.9 assists while shooting 45.2% from the field and 40.2% from behind the three-point line.

If it weren’t for White’s emergence this season, the Bulls wouldn’t be where they are right now. He’s someone they can build around moving forward.

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On Chicago Bulls fans reaching ‘new low’ booing the late Jerry Krause

Jerry Krause, the now-deceased general manager of the Bulls of that era, saw his image booed vigorously by the fans in attendance in front of one of the few people with ties to that era who did attend — Krause’s widow.

They say the path to the underworld is paved with good intentions, and that seems to be the case with the Chicago Bulls’ recent decision to honor a number of key figures from the storied franchise’s history with their “ring of honor” ceremony.

The event, which honored mainly the figures behind the team’s six titles in the 1990s, saw few of those honored attend, with scheduling conflicts given as the official reason. But many are suspected to have avoided attending due to very public feuds, and the sparse attendance of the honorees were far from the worst blemish on the event. Jerry Krause, the now-deceased general manager of the Bulls of that era, saw his image booed vigorously by the fans in attendance in front of one of the few people with ties to that era who did attend — Jerry Krause’s widow.

Decried as one of the most embarrassing moments in recent (if not all) Bulls history, the incident came up on a recent episode of the Peacock “Brother From A Different Mother” show, where it was considered a ‘new low’ for Chicago.

To hear what they had to say about the cringe-worthy moment, check out the clip embedded above.

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