Casey enjoying DeRozan's breakout season with Bulls from afar
Pistons coach Dwane Casey was back at the United Center, giving him another opportunity to gush about DeMar DeRozan, a player he coached in Toronto.
When the Bulls played Detroit twice early in the season, the storyline was DeRozan moving to a new home. Now he's having a great season, leading the all-star vote among East guards and is a potential MVP candidate.
"From afar it's been beautiful to see," Casey said before Tuesday's game. "To see where DeMar started as a young, snotty-nosed kid in Toronto to where he is now is beautiful to see. I don't look forward to coaching against him, but just proud of the way he's grown as a player."
Casey wasn't there at the very beginning, when DeRozan was chosen by Toronto with the No. 9 pick in the 2009 draft. But the pair did spend seven seasons together with the Raptors. DeRozan's current 26.4 scoring average is second-best for his career.
"The game has really slowed down for him," Casey said. "He sees the floor, he takes what the game give him and he's almost a magician out there. He gets where he wants to and knows what he wants to do with the basketball. Just a testament to his work.
"I spent a lot of days in L.A. with him, down at his high school, just watching him workout, watching him workout with his workout coach during his growing days and this is where it's taken him."
Casey recalled calling other coaches, lobbying for DeRozan to make the all-star team back in the day. He was an all-star four times with Toronto, but DeRozan has flown under the radar at times, especially during the three years he spent in San Antonio.
"He's not flashy, he's not vociferous," Casey said. "He's under control, he lets his game speak for itself. So probably that. He doesn't seek attention. Some of the things he does only a coach or a former player would appreciate what he does on the floor."
Caruso still out:
Bulls coach Billy Donovan didn't have any information about Alex Caruso's possible return from health and safety protocols, other than saying Caruso has yet to meet the requirements for a positive COVID test. Donovan said Caruso has felt some mild symptoms.
"It's hard because those CT numbers that they count, there's got to be a consistent point of where he stays above a certain level," Donovan said. "So he's working to get there. His numbers are increasing, he's just not at that point yet."
Bulls notes:
Pistons coach Dwane Casey was in protocols when his team beat Utah on Monday, but returned to the bench Tuesday after producing two positive tests, so he thinks there might have been a false positive on Sunday. ... Wednesday's game against Brooklyn is a rare, if not unprecedented 9 p.m. start at the United Center as Game 2 of an ESPN doubleheader.