After scoring 45 in loss to 76ers, DeRozan says Bulls have everything they need
After giving a clinic on how to score 45 points when the other team is doing everything it can to stop you, professor DeMar DeRozan delivered a dissertation on why the Bulls shouldn't bother to make a move before Thursday's NBA trade deadline.
"We're missing Lonzo Ball, one of the top point guards in the league," DeRozan began. "Alex Caruso, one of the best defenders in this league; Patrick Williams, one of the young stars in this league. We haven't had those guys. And we have them and they'll be back.
"We don't need to worry or stress about having nobody else. Those three right there, I guarantee you every team in the NBA wish they had those three guys. We're going to get those guys back and we'll be fine."
After he stood up from the interview room microphone, DeRozan mentioned he forgot to mention Derrick Jones Jr., who is out with a broken finger. And maybe calling Williams a young star is open to debate, but the message was clear.
Even after Sunday's 119-108 loss to Philadelphia at the United Center, DeRozan thinks the Bulls have everything they need to succeed. They just don't have it all at the moment.
Besides Ball, Caruso, Williams and Jones, Zach LaVine (back) and Coby White (adductor strain) missed their second straight games with injuries. Coach Billy Donovan wasn't sure about the odds of LaVine or White playing Monday when the Bulls host Phoenix.
There's no cry for help is coming from the Bulls' locker room, according to DeRozan.
"Only y'all talk about that. We don't talk about it," he said.
All things considered, the Bulls did a nice job of staying competitive against a Sixers squad that was closer to full strength. MVP-favorite Joel Embiid scored 40 points and Philadelphia was sharp from long range, hitting 12 of 24 3-point attempts.
"I thought we had some decent looks from 3," Donovan said. "Missing someone like Zach's scoring, you need some more 3s to go in and I thought we got some good ones. That hurt us a little bit."
DeRozan's 45 points were the most he's scored with the Bulls. He recorded his career-high of 52 points with Toronto on Jan. 1, 2018 in an overtime win over Milwaukee.
DeRozan seemed to wear down in the fourth quarter, which is understandable since he took only a 90-second breather in the third. The all-star starter hit 16 of 23 shots through three quarters, then went 2 of 7 in the fourth. He logged exactly 41 minutes, according to the box score.
"I felt fine. I used the timeouts the best as I can as my rest," DeRozan said. "But I don't really think about it, when your adrenaline rushing, you're trying to win, you really don't think about it in the moment."
Nikola Vucevic finished with 23 points and Javonte Green continued his recent scoring surge with 17. As a team, the Bulls were just 7 for 26 from 3-point land. After falling behind by 17 early in the fourth quarter, the Bulls got within 4 a couple of times, but the comeback stalled.
This loss spoiled a chance for Donovan and the Bulls coaching staff to work the All-Star Game. The assignment is based on the team with the best record in each conference as of Sunday. Some coaches consider that an honor, others would prefer the vacation. Either way, the job of coaching Team Durant on Feb. 20 in Cleveland went to Miami's Erik Spoelstra, since the Bulls dropped a half-game behind the Heat.
"Yeah, I knew about it, brought it up to the guys," DeRozan said. "A little extra motivation, would have been special. Those guys deserve it, it would have been great to get those guys in there. It was on my mind. I told Billy at the end of the game, I tried my best to get this game for him."
This game featured old-school, floor-level shot clocks in the corners, because the clocks above the baskets weren't working. That meant public address announcer Tim Sinclair gave a 10-second warning, then counted down from 5 on every single possession, all game long.
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