After a disastrous start to the season, the Chicago Bulls are showing some signs of life this New Year. Thanks to big performances from DeMar DeRozan, Patrick Williams, and Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls have won three straight to pull themselves up to within two games of .500.
Despite the good vibes, however, some of their struggles early on continue to loom over the team like a dark cloud before a storm. Namely, it’s the relationship between Zach LaVine and head coach Billy Donovan that has taken the biggest hit.
“According to a source, while the LaVine-Billy Donovan player-coach relationship is still very workable it remains somewhat strained in the wake of a Nov. 18, late-game benching in which Donovan chose to ride out the final minutes against Orlando with LaVine out of the game.”
The game in question goes back to November when an ice-cold LaVine was benched during crunch time in a controversial and highly risky move.
The two spoke right after that benching and at were at least able to apply enough duct tape to make the bridge functional, but LaVine was obviously unhappy with the way he was called out by teammates at halftime in the embarrassing Dec. 18 loss in Minnesota, as well as Donovan’s late-game sets in which DeMar DeRozan has been option 1A and 1B.
While the locker room incident had little to do with Donovan, it wasn’t like the coach threw a life preserver to anyone involved, and as far as LaVine rarely getting a chance to win games late since DeRozan’s arrival, he did tell the Sun-Times last week, “I think we have to start figuring out how we can get some different actions in those situations.’’
LaVine addressed the situation right after the game, but it seems some of the leftover feelings from that decision have not fully gone away. For a Bulls team that appears to finally be hitting its stride, a disconnect between the coach and your star player is never a good sign.
Can The Bulls Return To The Playoffs This Season?
As Chicago’s starting point guard continues to miss time, other guys have stepped up to keep the season alive. Unfortunately, the Bulls are about to face their biggest test yet with a particularly tough stretch of the schedule coming up soon.
We will find out then what kind of team the Bulls really are, and if LaVine’s bruised relationship with coach Donovan will have any kind of impact on their miraculous turnaround.
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