NEWSLETTER
Illinois won their first Big Ten Championship since 2005 … AND the Bulls won. Damn, what did I do to deserves such a beautiful Sunday!? (Wait, crap, does this mean today is going to be horrible? The universe is going to level out somehow isn’t it?)
I-L-L!!
• If one thing became clear on Sunday night, it’s that head coach Billy Donovan isn’t a loser (like me). While the Bulls head coach certainly comes off as a leader who understands where his organization is at, he isn’t about to sacrifice wins for development. Why? Because he views winning as the key ingredient toward achieving that development. Sitting in front of eager reporters after last night’s 118-95 win, Donovan had his first opportunity to explain why Coby White and Wendell Carter Jr. were pushed to the bench in favor of Thaddeus Young and Tomas Satoransky. His reasoning was rather simple: The Bulls’ first unit wasn’t producing, and when a bunch of young players are playing a losing brand of basketball, it’s pretty damn hard to learn how to do the opposite. Here are Donovan’s exact words:
Billy Donovan on young #Bulls players: "There’s some people who look at development as just throw a guy out there and let him play through all his mistakes and let him get better. These guys need to learn how to win. The No. 1 component that goes into winning is sacrifice."
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) March 15, 2021
• “This is good for their development because, obviously, we’re trying to win,” Donovan said. Understanding his philosophy doesn’t get any more cut and dry than that. The Bulls clearly view a playoff push as best for their organization, and while another top lottery pick would be nice, I’m all here for this culture change. The front office and coaching staff was overhauled for a reason, and that was to alter the expectations and perception of this franchise. Establishing a more competitive bar is important, as it can not only make the franchise a more intriguing destination for players around the league but also a healthier atmosphere for young players to successfully learn and grow.
• Donovan’s mindset has trickled down to the rest of his roster, and that became clear when we heard what Carter and White had to say about their benching last night. Carter – who has become known for being pretty damn hard on himself – sounded surprisingly confident and comfortable with his new role. He talked about how his first-career game off the bench simultaneously motived him and reminded him to play with joy. Most importantly, however, he echoed Donovan’s winning sentiment: “The end goal is to make it to the playoffs, so whatever it has to be for us to get there, everybody will be happy once that happens.
LIVE: Wendell Carter Jr talks with the media after a 12 point, 11 rebound performance in victory over the Raptors. https://t.co/EEZSrkLNRJ
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 15, 2021
• Carter’s double-double performance may have come against a heavily depleted Raptors team, but it was still a joyful style of play we haven’t seen from him much this season. The big man was in full attacking mode from the start, scoring 9 points in under five minutes of action. We even saw him pump fake a pass to trick Kyle Lowry before stepping in for the wide-open mid-range jumper and sink a mean step-back over Aron Baynes. They were moves I didn’t even realize Carter had in his bag of tricks.
• Meanwhile, a bench role was nothing new for White, who appeared to have no trouble accepting why his head coach made a lineup change: “At the end of the day, all I want to do is win. So, obviously, we weren’t getting off to a good start with that unit. And we were halfway through the season now, and we still weren’t getting off to a start, so he had to make a change. As a coach, you got to make those tough decisions, and I was all for it.” Gotta love Coby.
• Besides the “W” word, almost everyone in their post-game pressers mentioned the staring unit’s atrocious plus-minus this season. The four-man combination of LaVine, Carter, White, and Williams carries a -12.2, per Basketball-Reference. Then, when Markkanen was healthy enough to join those four, the number dropped to -16.6. I was surprised to hear so many references to this differential, but I guess it must have been on the minds of the players and coaching staff leading up to this decision. In fact, that might be why everyone was so comfortable with the change, as Donovan even said that he believed the players also knew some kind of shakeup was needed.
• Is that good?
https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1371430980653871104?s=21
• No Bulls action mentioned in The Athletic’s latest despite their several interested trade chips. Either that means the Bulls are feeling comfortable or Kanrisovas is just keeping his door shut.
New NBA trade talk via @ShamsCharania:
◾️ Lakers & Nets Andre Drummond's top buyout suitors
◾️ T-Wolves & Blazers showing interest in Aaron Gordon
◾️ Rockets staying engaged with Bucks, Heat & Lakers on PJ Tucker
◾️ Much more in Shams' Inside Pass ⤵️ https://t.co/QNSc8hD2CR
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 15, 2021
