If you are a Chicago Bulls fan who watches or listens to sports talk, you are probably fed up by now. Your team has been nearly ignored by these “experts” all year, but when the Bulls are mentioned, facts go out the window. Most common talking points focus on Chicago’s poor record against the better teams in the league, but rarely does Chicago get credit for how well they have played without anywhere up to three starters playing at the same time. It’s blatant disrespect.
When Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball were playing, the Bulls were consistently a top-10 team when considering defensive rating and points allowed per 100 possessions. Are we as fans supposed to just ignore how bad these two are missed? Are we supposed to ignore how much Patrick Williams is missed? The talking heads definitely are.
The experts will tell you Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan should be able to carry this team anyway. Sure, LaVine and DeRozan are stars, with the latter in talks for MVP, but how can you be expected to carry the load offensively and cover for your three best defenders on the bench for much of the season? Also, why are the Bulls seemingly the only team whose stars aren’t given the benefit of doubt when it comes to injuries?
I’ll tell you why the Bulls are disrespected: they are quiet and soft. I love Caruso, but when he’s your only junkyard dog, nobody is afraid of your bite. They don’t play chippy. Opponents aren’t afraid of going to the paint. Where are the press conferences filled with expletives? Give me more technical fouls. Billy Donovan, get ejected! Give us something!
Billy Donovan: "We have to get battle-tested in some of these games. We just don't have a lot of guys that have gone into this kind of experience. And I think it's really, really good for us... It's not concerning as much as it's shining a light on what really goes into this."
— Rob Schaefer (@rob_schaef) March 1, 2022
Enter Tristan Thompson. This is the man Chicago needs for the playoffs. It looks like Donovan might agree, as he seems keen to at least try having Nikola Vucevic and Thompson on the floor together. The Bulls not only need the championship experience Thompson brings, but he’s already showing that his toughness, attitude, and leadership are rubbing off on his teammates. Did you see him bark at LaVine for not hustling for a rebound? Remind me, when was the last champion who didn’t have that kind of grit on the floor playing big minutes?
Caruso, Ball, and Williams are slated to make their return soon, but this team needs to dig deep and learn how to care enough to defend without having to rely on those three. Health isn’t guaranteed, especially if rivals have bush league cheap-shot artists (i.e. Grayson Allen) on the floor. The game slows down in the playoffs. There are fewer substitutions and it gets much more physical. They want to flop? Make the foul worth it. They put in a chump just to injure? Make him regret it.
Tristan Thompson calls out Grayson Allen ahead of tonight's Bucks-Bulls matchup 🗣 pic.twitter.com/DjzgPbl2JO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 4, 2022
Agreeable isn’t interesting. Being nice doesn’t get competitors what they want. This is the NBA. Yes, the current game is softer than in any previous era, but why not take advantage of that? Why not remind Bulls fans of the 90s, during which teams feared playing at the United Center? Chicago fans don’t work through heavy snow, bone-chilling walks to the “L” , and haven’t endured embarrassing season after embarrassing season to finally have a chance to welcome back the Larry O’Brien Trophy just to watch it slip away. We don’t want to hear “there’s always next year.”
These are the Bulls. This is Chicago. The city of Broad Shoulders. Make the world remember.
DeMar DeRozan can make MVP leaderboard leap with big stretch for Bulls
A strong performance over this stretch will strengthen DeMar DeRozan MVP status, as he's currently behind Jokic, Embiid, and Antetokounmpo.