Nikola Vucevic slander has to stop, according to Bulls’ Goran Dragic

Goran Dragic learned what Chris Bosh went through when he became his teammate back in the 2014-15 season.

LeBron James had just left to return back to Cleveland, yet Bosh was still being criticized for what he wasn’t doing with Miami, rather than the sacrifices he made in the two Heat championships.

Dragic was bothered by that narrative then, and years later it’s again bothering him now.

Different team, different teammates, not a championship in sight for the Bulls, but Dragic is irked by what he feels is an unfair narrative surrounding Nikola Vucevic.

“People don’t get it. They don’t. They only see the numbers. That’s not fair,” Dragic said. “I know CB [Bosh], and when CB talked about that a lot. When he was in Toronto he was averaging, what 22, 24 points a game? Getting touches. Then when he goes to Miami he had seasons where he averaged 16, and then everybody, the media was bashing him, fans too. But he was doing so many little things for the team so that [James and Dwyane Wade] could jell. Things you don’t see in the stats, things that people don’t understand.

“That’s why when I talk about sacrifice … it’s easy to talk about sacrifice if it’s not you. And if it’s not you, who is doing the sacrificing? When your time comes to sacrifice, everyone can see what you are really about.”

According to Dragic, what Vucevic has been about since being traded over from Orlando is sacrifice. Yet, it’s been Vucevic that’s been criticized for his decreasing numbers, as well as the focal point of trade pieces from the outside if the front office does decide to become sellers come deadline time.

“When you have to do what Chris or Vooch is doing, it’s not possible to live up to previous expectations,” Dragic said. “There’s only one ball and three guys that can score. Each guy can score in different ways from a different position. At the end of the day it should be just about winning. Miami conquered that.

“A guy like CB that sacrifices like that, that might be one of the biggest keys to them getting those championships.”

The good news for Vucevic this season compared to last, was while his scoring and rebounding might be a tick down, his shooting from three-point range and from the field are much better.

Coach Billy Donovan just sees a player who is now mentally in a much better place.

“He was getting frustrated at times [last season] because I think he holds himself to such a high standard that it was a little different in three, four, five possessions he doesn’t get a shot, then he’s open and misses one, then he presses on the next one, presses on the next one … I think he’s done a really good job just staying focused on the next possession, the next play,” Donovan said.

SEC for life

Nineteen years as a Gator, there was of course a certain disdain for SEC-rival Georgia for Donovan. But his allegiance to the SEC was also still strong.

That’s why it was a no-brainer for Donovan when asked who he was pulling for in the college football playoff.

“Probably lean on the SEC,” Donovan said. “Growing up in New York and being around the Giants, Jets, and then you get down there and you have no idea about [the SEC]. I saw some unbelievable games with Florida State [and Florida], the Miami teams, Peyton Manning, just a lot. I was there for a long period of time, so I like to see the SEC do well.”

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