Category: Bulls News

Javonte Green breaks down highlight play in Bulls win over Knicks

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the New York Knicks, Javonte Green spoke about his highlight-reel dunk.

The back-and-forth Chicago Bulls lived up to their name once again on Friday night. They took down the New York Knicks following a tough loss to the Atlanta Hawks, who they are fighting with for Play-In seeding. Their win over the Knicks was much-needed, and some unlikely heroes stepped up for Chicago.

Ayo Dosunmu put up 24 points and Andre Drummond had 10 points and 16 rebounds, but it was Javonte Green who stole the show against New York. The Bulls brought him on board on a 10-day contract, but he was recently converted to a standard deal. He threw down a monster jam in the second quarter.

After the game, Green spoke about the moment, as well as the fact that Drummond got fined for his celebration. (H/t ESPN)

“It was a great feeling,” Green said. “I’m not gonna help Andre pay the fine. Andre’s a pro. I feel like that’s my game, though. Just bring excitement to the game and just play as hard as I can and just try to win each game for the team.”

Green finished the game with a team-high 25 points to go along with 13 rebounds, one assist, two steals, and one block while shooting 10-of-14 from the field and 1-of-3 from behind the three-point line.

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What does the long-term future of the Chicago Bulls look like?

What does the long-term future look like for the Chicago Bulls?

For the past three years, the Chicago Bulls have been stagnant. Ever since they changed up their core in 2021, they’ve remained firmly in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference. While they managed to win one playoff game in 2022, they haven’t been back since, and this season, they’re in danger of missing the playoffs yet again.

Much to the dismay of the fanbase, the Bulls decided to stand pat at the deadline again this year, choosing to roll into the postseason with their current roster. And though there have been rumblings that the team will trade Zach LaVine this summer, that’s the only major change that seems to be on the horizon.

That begs the question – what does the long-term future of the Bulls look like? The Yahoo Sports YouTube channel recently discussed this.

Is Coby White the guy to lead them into the future? Will they hit on a draft pick this year? How long will DeMar DeRozan be around? All of these are important questions.

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Billy Donovan shares thoughts on Nikola Vucevic’s poor shooting season

Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan recently spoke about Nikola Vucevic’s rough shooting season.

The Chicago Bulls have had a tough season this year, starting 5-14 and then pushing their way up the standings but capping out at the Play-In Tournament. They are now all but locked into a 9-10 matchup against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the Play-In. Part of the weirdness has come from injuries, but some has come from on-court struggles.

The Bulls haven’t been able to churn out consistent offense this year, and one of the guys who has struggled the most has been big man Nikola Vucevic. The center’s three-point stroke has taken a huge hit this season.

Head coach Billy Donovan recently shared his thoughts on Vucevic’s shooting slump this season. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“He’s a much, much better shooter than what he showed this year,” coach Donovan said. “I really believe that. I think he’s had some good looks and for whatever reason, he hasn’t shot like he’s capable.”

After shooting 34.9% from distance last year, Vucevic’s three-point efficiency is down to 28.6% – the lowest number of his career since he started taking threes consistently.

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Play-In Tournament has made Chicago Bulls complacent

The Chicago Bulls have become complacent because of the Play-In Tournament.

When the Chicago Bulls completely changed up their team in 2021, they set their sights on competing. They were sick of rebuilding and brought DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso on board, all following their massive trade deadline deal with the Orlando Magic that landed them Nikola Vucevic.

At the start of the 2021-22 season, they were solid, but since Ball went down with an injury, they’ve been the definition of average. The Bulls have won just a single playoff game with their new core, and they are in danger of missing the playoffs for the second year in a row this season.

The Bulls Central YouTube channel recently discussed how the Play-In Tournament has made the Bulls okay with being average.

Because the Play-In Tournament gives relatively bad teams a chance to make the playoffs, the Bulls have been okay with being a middle-of-the-pack team for the past few seasons.

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Billy Donovan on tough Bulls offseason discussions after bad season

The Chicago Bulls may have some tough conversations this summer, but Billy Donovan said they haven’t been broached yet.

The Chicago Bulls have had a weird season. Internally, they feel as though their mid-season turnaround after a 5-14 start saved their year. Externally, the fans desperately want the team to hit the reset button and abandon the roster that they have clung to for the past three seasons. It’s an odd battle.

On the one hand, the emergence of Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu as stars has been amazing. On the other, Zach LaVine is likely to be traded this summer and Nikola Vucevic has taken a clear step back. If the Bulls fizzle out in the Play-In Tournament, which seems fairly likely, then the team’s goal of making the playoffs will not have been met.

That could lead to some difficult offseason discussions about the direction of the team, but Billy Donovan said that those haven’t been broached yet. (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

“I have not had any discussions [about that], but I think our guys have done a really good job with what’s been thrown at them and what we’ve had to overcome,” Donovan said. “And I believe in my heart that there’s enough in the locker room to find ways to get wins and results. The part of expectations of competing, you’re supposed to do that, it’s all of our jobs, right? But I think we can get results. But the reality is there’s $70 million that’s not playing. That’s just a reality.”

The Bulls are going nowhere fast, and the front office seems content.

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DeMar DeRozan refuses to let up despite Bulls clinching Play-In

DeMar DeRozan said the Chicago Bulls shouldn’t slow down just because they’ve clinched a Play-In spot.

The Chicago Bulls took on the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night in a game that was crucial to their potential seeding in the Play-In Tournament. The two teams are almost certainly going to face each other in the 9-10 game, but it’s still unknown who will have home-court when the regular season comes to a close.

However, despite the Bulls’ losing ground to the Hawks for the nine seed, they have clinched a spot in the Play-In Tournament, meaning there will officially be some semblance of postseason basketball for the Bulls this year. Now that they’re locked into that, should they take their foot off the gas a bit?

Not according to DeMar DeRozan. (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

“I don’t believe that,” DeRozan said. “I just believe all in until it’s all said and done. You can’t baby it from here on out, especially me. I want to go all in, go all out, whatever the circumstances, whatever is called for.”

DeRozan is ready to go full throttle for the rest of the season.

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DeMar DeRozan discusses Bulls’ ability to perform in close games

Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan recently spoke about the team’s success in close games.

The Chicago Bulls are all but locked into a place in the Play-In Tournament. Not only that, but they’re almost certainly going to be in the 9-10 game, and they’re almost certainly going to be playing the Atlanta Hawks. It’s unclear whether or not they’ll be the nine-seed with home-court advantage or not, but all they can do now is keep winning.

The Bulls’ hopes of making it through the Hawks rest on the shoulders of a one-game series, and their chances of getting through the Play-In are tough, as they’d likely have to beat one of Joel Embiid or Jimmy Butler. However, if the Bulls get into a tight one, they’ll be comfortable.

DeMar DeRozan recently spoke about Chicago’s ability to show up in close games. (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

‘‘That says a lot about our character, our will to keep going, not to quit, to bounce back when things aren’t going our way,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘That’s a lot of character.’’

DeRozan himself is a great closer, and Coby White has also stepped up in a big way down the stretch of games.

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Vit Krecji discusses career night vs. Bulls in Hawks victory

After his career-night in the Atlanta Hawks’ win over the Chicago Bulls, Vit Krejci shared his thoughts.

It’s been that type of season for the Chicago Bulls. They started the season 5-14 and have since turned it around, but they still find themselves stuck in the 9-10 Play-In Tournament picture. They’re battling it out with the Atlanta Hawks to see who will have home-court advantage in the game, but the Bulls’ loss to the Hawks on Monday was brutal.

With the loss, the Bulls are now just one game ahead of the Hawks in ninth, and Vit Krejci went off. The 23-year-old forward had one of the best games of his career against the Bulls, helping lead them to a win.

After the game, Krejci spoke about his big night. (H/t Andrew Seligman of the Chicago Tribune)

“It’s just a confidence,” Krejci said. “You knock down a couple. The team was playing well. I think the reason why we shot the ball well today was we just were moving the ball. When you get a 3 off of three passes or a kickout or something like that, it always feels better than a one-pass 3.”

Of all the night for Krejci to go off, it had to be against the Bulls.

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Billy Donovan on Bulls-Hawks and the importance of competitiveness

Before their loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan spoke about th eimportance of competitiveness.

The Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks are in a tight race to earn home-court advantage in the first game of the Play-In Tournament. Whoever finishes the season as the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference will get to welcome the other to their arena for the 9-10 game, where one team will move on and the other will see their season end.

Because of how tight the race is, the Bulls need to be fully focused every single night down the stretch of the season. They don’t have the luxury of some other teams who aren’t fighting for anything anymore. If they want to make the Hawks come to the United Center, they need to play hard every game.

Ahead of the Bulls’ game against the Hawks on Monday night, Billy Donovan spoke about this very topic. (H/t Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times)

“Probability-wise, there’s a likelihood we see each other again,” Donovan said. “All these games are important in terms of the competitiveness. I was pleased coming out of the Minnesota game just because of what happened. You knew they were going to make a run. I thought, when they got up, the guys did a great job of making the plays necessary to regain control of the game.”

Unfortunately, the Bulls lost to the Hawks on Monday, meaning their lead on Atlanta in the standings is now at just half a game.

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Billy Donovan breaks down three-point disparity in Bulls loss to Hawks

Head coach Billy Donovan spoke about the difference in three-point shooting in the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

The Chicago Bulls aren’t the best three-point shooting team. They sit somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of makes and attempts this season, but on Monday night, they barely scratched the surface compared to their opponent. The Bulls took just 28 threes against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, who chucked up 40.

Chicago ended up making just seven of their attempts, which put them at a serious disadvantage, as Atlanta made 19. That’s a 36-point difference on three-pointers alone. In the end, it was too much of a gap for the Bulls to make up, as they lost by a score of 113-101 in a game with serious Play-In seeding implications.

After the game, head coach Billy Donovan spoke about the difference in three-point shooting. (H/t Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times)

“Some of the threes were a byproduct of the battles at the point of the screens offensively and defensively,” Donovan said. “On both ends of the floor, [the Hawks] won those battles in a lot of ways. They shot the ball exceptionally, as well. You give them credit for that. We didn’t shoot the ball nearly as well, and certainly we didn’t generate nearly as many threes. . . . It’s more the corner threes for me that we have to be better at.”

If the Bulls want to make a run, they can’t keep getting outshot from distance like this.

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