The Chicago Bulls have been one of the most aggressive buyers in the NBA since appointing Arturas Karnisovas. The former Denver Nuggets executive trusts the team's ability to start competing right away and he's proved it in no time.
Karnisovas traded for Nikola Vucevic at least season's trade deadline. Then, he completed sign-and-trades for Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan, while also bringing Alex Caruso in to revamp their defense.
Even so, several insiders thought the Bulls were just overpaying for DeRozan and didn't think they were going to be this good. Unsurprisingly, DeMar kept receipts and hasn't shied away from confrontation lately.
DeMar DeRozan Calls Out 'Fake Experts' And Chicago Bulls Doubters
“Fake experts. Obviously, you hear it all, about how it’s not going to work, this and that,” DeRozan told Abe Schwadron of SLAM. “Just every negative. As competitors, you hear all that. That was one of the first conversations we had. I told him, It’s gon’ work. And he said the same thing to me.”
Zach LaVine Raves About The New-Look Bulls
DeRozan and Zach LaVine have been one of the best scoring tandems in the league this season. And, per LaVine, it all has to do with the common mindset and goal and how they've put ego aside:
“Having those new guys over here, we have a complete team now, and I have no ego with that,” LaVine said. “It’s not my team, or DeMar’s team, or Lonzo, or Vooch. We’re all leaders in our own way, and on any given night it could be one of our nights. Obviously, we each have roles, but our main goal we talked about was do whatever it takes to win. Whoever has it going that night, we’ll go through them and just try to help this team grow. We see ourselves as a championship-caliber team.”
“If you don’t have championship aspirations, you’re selling yourself short,” the former Timberwolves guard explained. “We have championship aspirations, and we’re trying to build championship habits.”
The Bulls have been one of the most consistent teams this season, even despite the injuries. They're the last team you want to meet in a seven-game series, so you better start giving them their flowers.
