An exciting new addition for the Chicago Bulls with the sign-and-trade deal that brought star shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan over from the San Antonio Spurs this offseason. DeRozan looked to be a target of the Bulls since the weeks leading up to the trade deadline last season, if not earlier. Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley made a big move back in August to get DeRozan from the Spurs.
It sounded like Eversley was critical in getting this sign-and-trade deal done with the Spurs a couple of months ago to land DeRozan. The Bulls gave up a lot to get DeRozan in this sign-and-trade with the Spurs. That included veteran forwards Thaddeus Young and Al-Farouq Aminu and some future draft capital (including a first round pick).
The attitude of DeRozan coming in with the Bulls seems to be that of a fighter looking to prove a point with this team this coming season. He talked on the matter of how he feels like the Bulls are being doubted too much in the media heading into the season since media days ahead of Training Camp last week.
A piece from Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times this week noted what DeRozan had to say about his feelings, and overall expectations, for the Bulls heading into preseason and the regular season slate. DeRozan mentioned that he (along with this team as a whole) need to keep more of an underdog mentality to keep a chip on their shoulder heading into the season.
He specifically noted that he keeps a mindset like you “run faster when the dog is chasing behind you”.
DeMar DeRozan believes the underdog mentality is good for the Chicago Bulls
Here’s another key part of this piece from the Sun-Times where DeRozan details his mindset, along with this team, heading into the season.
"‘‘I’ve been on teams where we were picked to be in the tank, and then we win 50 games and make it to the third seed in the Eastern Conference,’’ DeRozan said, referring to his days with the Raptors. ‘‘I’ve heard it all. You can’t indulge in it. You can’t let history depict what your future is going to be like. You just have to go out there and set the tone and take on the challenge. With this group of guys and the talent we have, everybody is willing to take on whatever that next challenge is.’’"
DeRozan has played on a lot of teams that were postseason contenders heading into the season. Most of those were with the Toronto Raptors, but he also made the playoffs with the Spurs. In fact, the last two seasons he spent with the Spurs was the first time in back-to-back years he didn’t make the postseason since the early 2010s.
There’s a lot of postseason experience that DeRozan brings to the table for the Bulls. And there is a good amount of postseason experience that the likes of former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Alex Caruso, Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat small forward Derrick Jones Jr., etc. brings to the table heading into the season.
The mindset on this team should be radically different during the 2021-22 season than it was in the prior three or four years. That’s why so many changes were made to reshape this roster, and the direction of the organization as a whole, within the last calendar year or so.
Making the move to add DeRozan during the offseason was just one example of how the Bulls are looking to take this team to new heights right away. The days of losing and trying to build out a young core through a slow and patient process are over in Chicago. DeRozan should embody that ideal this season for the Bulls.