Now, depending on whether the Bulls …

Now, depending on whether the Bulls return to close out the regular season, Valentine is on the verge of becoming a restricted free agent with 36 choppy games to show for the past two seasons. Whether his future is in Chicago or elsewhere, the end of the season should have been a proving ground for Valentine to demonstrate he’s still got it — and he’s deserving of the financial security afforded to those who do. “It’s pretty rough right now because it’s a lot of uncertainty that’s going on,” Valentine said. “And it’s my contract year. It’s a lot on my plate right now that I think about. Everybody’s going through it right now. It’s a lot of people out there that lost their jobs and have bigger problems than I have. I’m just very blessed and grateful to be where I’m at right now. But there are still some things to worry about.”