NEW YORK – Zach LaVine and his representation are open for him to be elsewhere, Alex Caruso is dealing with yet another injury as of Saturday, and the only part of Patrick Williams’ game that’s getting consistent is his inconsistency.
Just 17 games in and everything already feels wrong about this Bulls season.
Yet with so much seemingly crumbling around him, DeMar DeRozan is opposed to the front office making drastic changes.
“I never look at that as a go-to,’’ DeRozan said. “We can do it. That’s why I’m so frustrated because we can do it. It’s not like we’re playing against the ’96 Bulls every single night. We can go out there and compete against anybody, we can beat anybody. It’s just a matter of from tip-ball to the end, playing the right way, putting an IQ into the game, understand what we’ve got to do and how hard we’ve got to do it.’’
The veteran makes it sound so simple. For this roster, however, nothing appears simple.
That doesn’t mean DeRozan was wrong in the moment.
Yes, this roster isn’t working, and was never going to work after what was seen last year. It was broken then, and it’s broken now.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has shown an ability to be very deliberate and plodding in his decision making since Day 1 on the job, and that might actually come in handy.
There is absolutely no reason for him to make knee-jerk moves because of the emotion of frustration and disappointment.
There is no real trade market for LaVine right now.
There really shouldn’t be in late November. Give it time.
Several sources have indicated that trading Caruso isn’t currently on the table. Give it time.
DeRozan and the Bulls have seen the contract talks on his extension go almost cold. Give it time.
That might mean a lot more bad basketball on the horizon for this team with the NBA trade deadline still months away.
What Karnisovas can do right now is face it and let the fan base know where his head is at. He was given an official media request on this current road trip but was still unwilling to schedule that meeting.
Not a great look by him these days with the Bulls proving to be so underwhelming.
But time is on Karnisovas’ side.
There will be a growing LaVine market as the season plays on. The Raptors improved to 8-8 after beating the Bulls Friday night, and as playoff possibilities grow, Toronto’s need for a proven scorer will too. Then there’s the “Little Engine That Could’’ down in Orlando, sporting one of the better records in the Eastern Conference and having an over-crowded point guard room.
It would be tough to make LaVine’s money work in a deal, but DeRozan might fit perfectly there, adding leadership and an expiring contract if they want to move off of him after the season.
Magic guard Jalen Suggs would be a perfect get in a return package, helping out the point guard spot as well as adding a player that has always had the Bulls as a destination place.
Until there’s a ripple in the trade market picking up, however, DeRozan knows the only thing he and his teammates can do is play better.
“That’s the frustrating part of it, we show spurts of it,’’ DeRozan said. “We just gotta figure it out. It sucks, it’s frustrating, we all hate losing, hate being in the position we’re in. No one is going to feel sorry for us.’’
