MIAMI – One win wasn’t going to cure what ails the Bulls.
Especially a win against an undermanned Heat team that sat Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, allowing the visiting team to strut out of the FTX Arena with the 113-103 win.
There’s a difference between masking the dysfunction and curing it, however, and the Bulls are about to find out which direction this is going to go.
Prior to the four-game losing streak coming to an end for the Bulls, a source told the Sun-Times that there was a locker room incident at halftime in the embarrassing loss to Minnesota, with the focus of that blow up being the poor defense being played, especially by Zach LaVine.
Not the only issue going on with the 12-18 underachieving Bulls, but one that coach Billy Donovan even confirmed happening without offering up details.
All three members of the “Big Three” discussed it afterward, and all three did what they’re supposed to do – downplaying it.
“Something that happens all the time in our locker room,” LaVine said. “Multiple guys talking, multiple guys frustrated. That’s what’s supposed to happen, it’s a basketball team. Not the first time, not the last time, it’s just you guys hear it. It’s nothing new to us.”
Maybe so, but it didn’t seem to be an issue last season, even when the Bulls were going through frustrating moments in the second half.
Obviously the biggest change was the five-year, $215 million contract for LaVine, but the two-time All-Star wasn’t having any of that.
“There’s big responsibilities with everything,” LaVine said of the premise. “I hold myself to a standard, not on a contract, and I’ve done that since Day 1.”
Maybe, but there was also a report that LaVine and fellow All-Star DeMar DeRozan were going through an on-court disconnect. DeRozan played that off somewhat, but also didn’t flat-out deny it.
“Every great relationship is a work in progress,” DeRozan said. “When you appreciate it and it’s something you want to be a part of, you gotta go through the good and the bad with it. It’s not necessarily the bad is a bad thing. It just comes with it. I’ve never seen nobody in a long-term relationship be all smiles and giggles every single day.”
There were a lot of smiles and giggles coming out of Tuesday’s locker room. That was very evident, as gone was the finger pointing, in was the focus, especially on the defensive end, as the Bulls wasted little time erasing a 57-52 deficit.
A LaVine driving layup, an Alex Caruso steal and then two free throws, a DeRozan lay-up, Nikola Vucevic at the rim, another Caruso steal … it was a defensive onslaught not seen since the Bulls dismantled Milwaukee before Thanksgiving.
Within five minutes of that third quarter, the Bulls turned the deficit into an eight-point lead, and weren’t even close to done.
The Heat were forced to call a timeout with 4:14 left, down 15 thanks to the 30-7 run.
Once the smoke cleared and the stanza came to an end, the Bulls still held a comfortable 88-77 lead, and never looked back.
But now they have to look forward, and make sure that bad feelings don’t linger. Vucevic didn’t see that happen, and if they did?
“If you’re sensitive and soft, yeah,” Vucevic said. “But if you’re really about winning, if you really care about doing the right thing, then no. If something goes on and guys get to arguing, it comes from a good place. It’s never personal so I don’t think that’s going to be the case here. I think guys are tough enough to take it and respond. That’s just part of it.
“I’ve been around it a lot of times. It happens. You move on. That’s it.”