DeMar DeRozan calls out Bulls fans who want a rebuild

Let’s be honest with ourselves here, it’s been a long time since the Chicago Bulls were taken seriously as contenders in the Eastern Conference. Despite qualifying for the postseason in 2017 and 2022, I’d say 2015 was the last time the Bulls were a real threat to contend for a championship. As a result, this team has been in a perpetual state of rebuilding and retooling ever since, leaving the fans wanting so much more for their favorite team.

Chicago is admittedly playing better than they have in a long time, but it still seems as though this team is capped at an Eastern Conference Semi-Finals appearance at the very most. This has caused a not-so-small portion of the fanbase to advocate for a rebuild online, with the belief that getting younger and stockpiling draft assets is the clearest way for this team to break back onto the scene.

Believe it or not, these comments aren’t lost on the players actually on the Bulls roster. In a recent interview with Mark Medina, Bulls All-Star DeMar DeRozan directly addressed these concerns among the fanbase.

"“I think a lot of people who say that or suggest that really don’t understand basketball at all, in my opinion. You can think that’s an answer or that’s a route. But there’s no telling how long that route is going to even last. That route doesn’t necessarily always work in a timely fashion that you may think it will take.”"

DeMar DeRozan takes a stand against Bulls fans who want the team to rebuild.

While most players would shy away from speaking on managerial matters, I found it very interesting how willing DeMar was to speak on this situation candidly. Last year’s NBA Finals is proof that DeMar isn’t simply blowing smoke here, as the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets combine for just 7 losing seasons in the last 20 seasons. That’s an absolutely ridiculous 82.5% success rate when it comes to stacking up more wins than losses.

Perhaps his stance here should come as no surprise, considering if the Bulls were to usher in another era of rebuilding, DeRozan would be among the very first few names on the chopping block. There’s simply no room for a 34-year-old All-Star on a team planning for the future, his services would be more useful elsewhere.

DeMar carried on to speak about how he believes has the tools to get the job done, as long as they correct a few key issues.

"“With that, it’s hard to find and create talented players like the players that we already have assembled. We made a lot of mistakes. It’s not only on the players, but the coaching staff as well to be able to correct the mistakes that we have because we weren’t far off at all with the mistakes that we’ve had.”"

In my opinion, this claim is far more disputable. Unlike Denver and Miami, the Bulls have most certainly not proven themselves to be a winning franchise. We have very little reason to believe that this team will work out the kinks and make a dramatic leap next season. I won’t fault DeMar for sticking up for his team here, but we’ll just how much faith he truly has in the tools on this roster once he hits unrestricted free agency this summer.