Tag: DeMar DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan: Bulls-Hawks Play-In Game chance to ‘salvage’ season

DeMar DeRozan says the Play-In game against the Atlanta Hawks will give Chicago Bulls a chance to “salvage” their season.

The Chicago Bulls postseason road is set. And it starts in the Play-In Tournament. They are the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference and will be taking on the tenth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the first of two games they would need to win in order to make it to the playoffs. It’s going to be hard, but they are ready.

After a season full of ups and downs, the Bulls don’t just want to roll over. They could have rolled over when they started the season 5-14. Instead, they bounced back. They could have rolled over when Zach LaVine was ruled out for the year. But guys stepped up. They don’t want this season to go to waste.

DeMar DeRozan said that the Ply-In game is a chance for the Bulls to “salvage” their season. (H/t Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times)

“I mean it just gives us an opportunity to salvage so much we went through and not let the season go in vain,” DeRozan said. “Everything we went through (this season), now we got opportunity, you know, make some of the season like giving ourselves a chance. We got the opportunity to put our money on the table.”

If the Bulls get past the Hawks, they’ll take on the loser of the seven-eight game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat.

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DeMar DeRozan scolds Bulls’ play after tough loss to Magic

After the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Orlando Magic, DeMar DeRozan spoke about the team’s need to be better.

The Chicago Bulls have entered the point of the season where every game matters. As they fight for their spot in the Play-In Tournament, where they will almost certainly be playing the Atlanta Hawks in the 9-10 game, their play needs to be consistent. They can’t afford to be dropping easy games, and they need to stay competitive in the tough ones.

On Sunday night, the Bulls traveled to Florida to take on the Orlando Magic, who are also fighting for playoff seeding. The Bulls failed to pull through, as the Magic earned a 113-98 victory, improving their standing in the East playoff picture.

After the game, DeMar DeRozan spoke about the team’s need to be better down the stretch of the season. (H/t ESPN)

“We are coming to a point where we can’t play those [erratic] games,” DeRozan said. “The reality is you don’t want the other side of it.”

DeRozan finished the game with 30 points, three rebounds, and five assists while shooting 13-of-22 from the field.

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Which player is the most likely to end up in the Hall of Fame on the Chicago Bulls’ roster?

For the Bulls, the answer is a fairly straightforward one.

Which player is the most likely to end up in the Hall of Fame on the Chicago Bulls‘ roster? This was a hypothetical question posed to all 30 teams in the NBA in a recent article by Bleacher Report league analyst Dan Favale in a recent article.

For the Bulls, the answer is a fairly straightforward one, given this player is already on the cusp of such an honor at this stage of his career. For Favale, the answer in Chicago is clearly DeMar DeRozan. “Six All-Star selections and three All-NBA nods leave DeRozan just short of the baseline ‘inarguable Hall of Famer’ criteria.”

“But the combination of both coupled with his longevity should erase any doubt,” he adds. “Ditto for his career numbers.”

Noting that DeRozan is currently in his sixth season averaging over 20 points and 5 assists per game, the B/R analyst reminds us that out of the 24 players “with as many or more of these campaigns, Stephon Marbury is the only one outside the Hall of Fame or not considered a lock to make it once he retires.”

“Include someone else from the Chicago Bulls roster at your own risk,” he adds, and when you look at the resumes of players like Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine, Andre Drummond, and Alex Caruso, it’s hard to disagree.

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DeMar DeRozan pokes fun at Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau after Bulls win

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the New York Knicks, DeMar DeRozan jpoked fun at Thom Thibodeau.

The Chicago Bulls welcomed the New York Knicks to town on Friday night for a game that meant something to both teams. The Bulls are fighting to maintain home-court advantage in the 9-10 game over the Atlanta Hawks, while the Knicks are trying to keep their spot in the East playoffs, even pushing for home-court advantage in the first round.

Javonte Green played hero for the Bulls, as the veteran forward exploded for 25 points and 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, point guard Jalen Brunson had a 35-point, 11-assist showing for the Knicks. However, the Bulls rode Green’s impressive showing to a 108-100 win in wire-to-wire fashion.

After the game, Bulls star DeMar DeRozan poked fun at Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile on the sidelines or laugh or crack a joke,” DeRozan joked. “You’ve got to love that in your coach. His attitude is very indicative of the teams he has coached.”

DeRozan put up 20 points and dished out 10 assists against New York.

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DeMar DeRozan discusses Alex Caruso’s defensive intensity

Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan recently praised Alex Caruso’s defense.

The Chicago Bulls have been a painfully average team for the past few seasons. After changing up their core in 2021, they made the playoffs in 2022, but they only managed to take one game off the Milwaukee Bucks. In 2023, they lost in the Play-In Tournament and missed the playoffs. And this season, they’re in danger of suffering the same fate.

Last year, the Bulls relied on their defense to help them find some success. This season, they haven’t had that. However, they still have some of the same elite defensive pieces in place. Most notably, Alex Caruso is still one of the league’s premier defenders.

DeMar DeRozan recently praised his defensive intensity. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“He really gets upset when guys score on him,” DeRozan said. “He’s one of those special guys when it comes to the defensive end of the ball that can do a little bit of everything.”

Caruso has a chance to be on another All-Defensive Team this year.

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DeMar DeRozan shows love to Javonte Green after Bulls win over Knicks

After Javonte Green’s monster game in the Chicago Bulls’ win over the New York Knicks, DeMar DeRozan gave him a bunch of credit.

As the Chicago Bulls look to end the season on a high note and maintain their place as the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the Play-In Tournament, they earned a huge win over the New York Knicks on Friday night. They took down Jalen Brunson, who has been one of the best point guards in the league this year, largely thanks to Javonte Green.

Green, who the Bulls originally signed to a 10-day not long ago before converting his contract to a standard deal, played a giant role in the win over New York. He led the Bulls in scoring on the night.

After the game, DeMar DeRozan credited Green for everything he brings to the table. (H/t ESPN)

“The energy, the enthusiastic style of play he brings, the person he is off the court — he’s one of those guys you want to have on your team,” DeRozan said. “It’s been a tough year for him just trying to get healthy. For him to come out and be doing what he’s been doing since he came back, it’s amazing.”

Green ended the night with 25 points and 13 boards.

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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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DeMar DeRozan shares optimistic thoughts after Bulls loss to Hawks

After the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Atlanta Hawks, DeMar DeRozan provided an upbeat perspective.

The Chicago Bulls welcomed the Atlanta Hawks to town on Monday night for a game with major Play-In seeding implications. The two sides are battling it out for who will get home-court advantage in the 9-10 Play-In game. Unfortunately, Chicago wasn’t able to maintain their lead on Monday.

The Hawks walked out of the game with a 113-101 win over the Bulls, marking their fourth victory in five games. Vit Krejci poured in a career-high 18 points as the Hawks’ offensive shot a combined 19-of-40 from beyond the arc (47.5%). Meanwhile, the Bulls made just seven of the 28 three-pointers they attempted (25.0%). Those numbers alone led to a 36-point disparity.

Despite the loss, DeMar DeRozan provided a somewhat upbeat perspective after the game. (H/t ESPN)

“As bad as it feels now, I don’t think we played that bad,” DeRozan said.

DeRozan finished the game with 31 points, two rebounds, five assists, and two steals while shooting 10-of-23 from the field.

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DeMar DeRozan calls Bulls up-and-down play ‘frustrating’

DeMar DeRozan recently spoke about the Chicago Bulls’ inconsistent play.

The Chicago Bulls have been the definition of inconsistent this season. After a 5-14 start to the year, they turned things up a notch, fighting their way back up the Eastern Conference standings and into the race for the Play-In Tournament. Now, it’s looking certain that they’ll take on the Atlanta Hawks in the 9-10 games.

However, their inconsistencies have continued, as they just can’t manage to find any sort of footing in regard to their level of play. One night, they’re losing to the Washington Wizards. The next, they’re dominating the Indiana Pacers. Then, a loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Then, a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

DeMar DeRozan recently discussed this up-and-down play, noting the team’s frustration. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)

“We love the drama,” DeRozan said. “It’s frustrating because we know our capabilities. We know we can beat anybody. So when we lose the games where — you know, I see it on Twitter, they go crazy on us, say we’re the most confusing team. That’s not us. We go out and perform like we did tonight, that’s who we are. It’s all about being consistent.”

The Bulls want to make noise in the postseason, but they’ll need to find a way to play consistently if they want to do that.

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