DeMar DeRozan said that the Chicago Bulls need to only focus on the game in front of them.
After they started the season at 5-14, the Chicago Bulls’ season looked doomed. They seemed as though they were on a one-way train to a top pick in the draft and a brutal year. However, they turned things around in a big way, pushing their way back up in the standings and into the Play-In Tournament.
On the back of stellar play from Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, the Bulls have been an underrated squad during the second half of the season. They’re almost certainly going to be taking on the Atlanta Hawks in the 9-10 Play-In game, and anything past that would be gravy for the Bulls, should the win.
DeMar DeRozan recently spoke about the importance of focusing on the game in front of them and nothing else. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)
“We definitely have time,” DeRozan said. “All it takes is doing it one game, competing all out, understanding and living with the results. As long as we do that, that’s all that matters.”
If the Bulls can win two playoff games, they’ll get back in the playoffs for just the second time since Jimmy Butler left Chicago.
Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan recently spoke out against sports betting.
As sports gambling has gotten bigger and bigger in the United States, Chicago Bulls players and everyone around the league are inevitably going to be affected. Whether it be fans yelling out from the crowd about their parlays or people watching sports purely for the sake of their bets, it’s an inevitability. And now, the NBA and other leagues are partnering with sports betting sites.
Plenty of players around the NBA have spoken up about sports betting. Some players understand that it’s simply a part of the game, and others are vehemently against the idea of gambling on sports. Bulls star DeMar DeRozan falls more into the latter category.
“If you a fan, you a fan,” DeRozan said. “I just feel like it takes away the purity of the game and the love of the game. It should be about being a fan. I don’t think you can necessarily be a complete fan if you’re worrying about somebody getting three assists or whatever it may be.”
If people are just there to watch and see if their bets cash, are they really fans of the team they’re there to support?
Is it too much to ask for the ball club to get back to .500 by the end of the NBA’s 2023-24 season?
How far can DeMar DeRozan take the Chicago Bulls this season? Is it too much to ask for the ball club to get back to .500 by the end of the NBA’s 2023-24 season? And beyond the regular season, can they advance in the play-in tournament to the actual 2024 playoffs?
The veteran wing has been one of the most important parts of the Bulls’ late-season winning play, and they will need his veteran savvy if they want to achieve any of the goals we have listed above. Is Chicago asking too much of DeRozan, giving the relative inexperience of most of the rest of the players on the Bulls’ roster?
To talk it over, the hosts of the “CHGO Bulls” podcast took some time to look into DeRozan’s role with the Bulls this season in light of trying to salvage some of the team’s preseason goals.
Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say!
After the Chicago Bulls’ recent loss to the Washington Wizards, DeMar DeRozan said his team needs to play more desperate.
For the past few seasons, the Chicago Bulls have been stuck in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference. And at the beginning of this year, things were looking worse, as they jumped out to a 5-14 start to the season. However, they turned things around and earned themselves a spot in the Play-In Tournament. But if they want to go any further, they need to turn up the heat.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, their latest loss was the exact opposite of that. They took on the Washington Wizards, one of the worst teams in the league, and lost. Washington won their third game in a row for the first time this season, and the Bulls lost their third game in a row in a very winnable game.
‘‘It sucks because all these games matter,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘You want to be playing good basketball toward this part of the season. In the circumstance we are under, everything matters so much more. We’ve got to be more desperate. Not just the beginning of the game, but every single game from here on out. There’s time, but we need to be playing the right way. Competing from beginning to end, that’s all that matters.’’
If the Bulls want to make any noise past the Play-In Tournament, they need to take things up a notch.
After the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Washington Wizards, DeMar DeRozan expressed his frustration.
Looking to bounce back from their brutal loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday night, the Chicago Bulls welcomed the Washington Wizards to town on Monday night. The Wizards, one of the worst teams in the NBA, had won two straight games, and unfortunately for the Bulls, Washington took them down, winning three games in a row for the first time this season.
Washington took home a 107-105 win over Chicago, and while the Bulls made it a competitive game down the stretch, they were down by as many as 16 points during the game. As the Bulls fight for their spot in the 9-10 Play-In game, they need every win they can get.
After the loss, DeMar DeRozan expressed his frustration. (H/t ESPN)
“We shouldn’t drop games like this right now,” DeRozan said. “We’re resilient, but we can’t live on the edge every single game. We can lose to any single team any night. That’s the NBA. We’ve got to be aware of that. We’ve got to leave it out there these last 10 games. Can’t have no more excuses.”
DeRozan finished the game with 27 points, two rebounds, six assists, and five steals while shooting 9-of-22 from the field and 1-of-4 from beyond the three-point arc.
DeMar DeRozan spoke about his altercation with Dillon Brooks after the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Houston Rockets.
The Chicago Bulls dropped their game against the Houston Rockets on Thursday night. They were riding a two-game win streak during which they took down some bottom-feeding squads and were looking to keep it going against one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Unfortunately, the Rockets got the best of them.
In the third quarter, Jalen Green blocked DeMar DeRozan, and then on the other end, the Bulls star hit the Rockets youngster with a hard foul. DeRozan got called for a Flagrant 2 for the foul, and immediately afterward, Dillon Brooks walked up to him and created an altercation. He was backing up his teammate.
“Just walking up on me in any type of way,” DeRozan said. “I don’t play the walking up on somebody when their back is turned. Nah, that’s just not a thing we do. I walked away from the situation after the foul. I just felt like it’s an issue walking up on any man from behind.”
Both DeRozan and Brooks were ejected from the game.
DeMar DeRozan spoke after the game about his Flagrant 2 foul on Jalen Green in the Chicago Bulls’ loss to the Houston Rockets.
The Chicago Bulls traveled to Texas to take on the Houston Rockets on Thursday night. After a back-and-forth start to the game, the Rockets surged ahead, and after leading by double digits in the first half, Houston never looked back. The Bulls were trailing from then on despite multiple comeback attempts.
However, the real story of this game came in the third quarter. As Jalen Green was dribbling the ball up the court and going around a screen, DeMar DeRozan went up to guard him and hip-checked him into the ground. The play followed a Green block on DeRozan. The Bulls star and Dillon Brooks then got into an altercation. DeRozan was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul, and Brooks was also tossed.
After the game, DeRozan got a chance to talk about the play for the first time, though the foul wasn’t his biggest regret. (H/t ESPN)
“Just not being out there and giving us the full chance to go out and win a game, that’s what I’m more frustrated about more than anything,” DeRozan said. “Not being out there with my guys, seeing the outcome could’ve been.”
Ime Udoka on Thursday’s Rockets-Bulls scuffle: “They are not backing down. A guy takes a hit, and teammates are going to stand up for each other.”
HOUSTON — Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks sent a message to the rest of the NBA before stepping on the Toyota Center court.
“When you come to play Houston, you know it’s going to be a physical battle,” Brooks said in October 2023 as part of his first press conference after signing with the Rockets. “It’s going to be a challenge. When you come play Houston, you know it’s going to be a physical battle. It’s going to be a challenge. It’s not just a walk in the park no more, when you come to Houston.”
With the 2023-24 season in its final month, those words ring as strongly as the day he spoke them. Throughout the season, Brooks and his teammates have put them into action.
Toughness is a character trait that Brooks displayed when he was with the Grizzlies, as he took on Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James in the 2023 NBA playoffs. Though Memphis lost that series, Brooks did not flinch.
Never forget that Dillon Brooks is standing on business… “When you come play Houston, you know it’s going to be a physical battle. It’s going to be a challenge. It’s not just a walk in the park no more when you come to Houston.”#Rockets#Sarge@TheRocketsWirepic.twitter.com/lfDc1EQbON
In Houston, the unwavering mindset starts with head coach Ime Udoka, who believes his team must fight fire with fire when opponents try to bully them with on-court physicality. That’s what the Bulls tried to do on Thursday in Houston’s 127-117 victory.
With 6:02 remaining in the third quarter, Chicago forward DeMar DeRozan committed an egregious foul against Rockets guard Jalen Green, sending him to the floor grimacing in pain.
As the medical staff rushed to check on him, DeRozan and Brooks got into an altercation, which subsequently led to DeRozan swinging an elbow to Brooks’ chin. That led to an on-court encounter between both teams, with teammates and coaches separating them.
“A guy takes a hit, and teammates are going to stand up for each other,” said Rockets HC Ime Udoka during his postgame press conference. “You have seen about three or four of those (on-court scuffles), and it is a good thing, in my opinion.” #Rockets#Sarge@TheRocketsWirepic.twitter.com/ABi0aTiYpL
Once the officials reviewed the video footage, they determined that DeRozan’s foul on Green was a flagrant two, and he was ejected from the game. Brooks was given a technical foul and ejected; it was determined by referees that he escalated the situation.
“I didn’t love it being that (Brooks) got elbowed, and he walked over and didn’t say anything crazy,” Udoka said regarding the scuffle. “What they say the rules are is the guy that kind of instigates it, that gets it to that step after DeRozan did what he did … he got (ejected) because of that. Don’t love that he got hit, but if you walk over, that’s basically the rule, and that is how they explained it to me.”
Even though the Rockets lost one of their hottest offensive weapons in Brooks, who scored 23 points in 25 minutes played while playing excellent defense against DeRozan, Houston did not succumb to the Bulls’ rough play. Instead, the Rockets used it as motivation to finish the game and secure their seventh straight win.
“It has been good,” Udoka said when asked about his team playing more physically in recent weeks. “I think we talked about from the start of the season about effort and competitiveness. Not a bad thing to have these types of chippy games. … I don’t mind that part at all.”
“It is good that guys are battling and getting competitive,” Udoka said of his improving team. “We are all playing for something, and they are not backing down. A guy takes a hit, and teammates are going to stand up for each other. You have seen about three or four of those (on-court scuffles), and it is a good thing, in my opinion.”
If he is looking for max money and years and won’t budge, it’s possible he leaves for the best offer on the table.
It is our opinion that talent under contract to play or trade for a player you will play is a far better thing to have than not. But not everyone believes it makes sense to sign certain players to the Chicago Bulls‘ roster for the looming 2024-25 season.
Such is the case with DeMar DeRozan and the Bulls, with one example being the folks behind the “Bulls Central” podcast. To them, the decision to re-sign DeRozan to the Bulls’ roster is less clear-cut, and actually presents a tough choice to Chicago’s front office. Now, if the veteran Bulls wing had played poorly for his team this season, we might get the trepidation. But even if the Bulls don’t plan on sticking with DeRozan long-term, having his contract to trade is better than having nothing at all.
Of course, if he is looking for max money and years and won’t budge, it’s possible he leaves for the best offer on the table.
Check out the clip embedded above to hear their argument for why this could be a tougher decision than many seem to think.
Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan discussed his high minute totals this season.
The Chicago Bulls have been a middle-of-the-pack team for the past few seasons, but they have some great players on the roster. In addition to the emergence of Coby White this year, DeMar DeRozan has continued to show out. He continues to be one of the best clutch scorers in the league, and when the game comes down to the final few moments, the ball usually finds his hands.
On Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, DeRozan played 40:05, as the game came down to the wire when it probably shouldn’t have. DeRozan is 34 years old, and as the minutes pile up, the wear and tear on his body continues to increase.
The veteran wing recently spoke about his high minute totals and how he manages to take care of his body. (H/t Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune)
“I really, really try to take great care of myself,” DeRozan said. “I try to rest. I don’t have no other hobbies that cause me to exert any energy. I love playing the game no matter how many minutes it is. I just love being out there.”
DeRozan loves to play, so he’ll continue to push himself, but the Bulls need to be careful with him.
