I've heard a lot of those MVP, MVP chants this season. I heard it on this Bulls road trip for Paul George as the Bulls were making him find a surname and the Clippers to find their game in a double-digit Bulls victory Sunday. And then Monday, I heard it for Anthony Davis before frustration got the best of him after the Bulls did, Davis ejected and the Bulls drowning the Lakers in their own misery with a 121-103 Bulls victory.
I heard those chants, some justified for Stephen Curry and some in appreciation and reward for Alex Caruso. I heard them in loyalty for Fred VanVleet and support for Joel Embiid. I haven't heard them yet for the Bulls best Most Valuable Player candidate since Derrick Rose, the player who is doing for his team as much as only Curry and Kevin Durant, and who again Monday was as elusive as he was efficient, as impressive as he was inspirational.
Your MVP candidate, DeMar DeRozan.
"I think (DeMar) is playing with a chip on his shoulder," said Lonzo Ball. "I think a lot of people were counting him out, saying he was on the back end of his career. This is probably one of the best years he's had in the NBA and we're just happy to have him on the team. He got lost in the shuffle in San Antonio (the last three relatively quiet seasons with declining scoring averages). But he's one of the best players in this game and I think he's going out and proving it every night."
DeMar DeRozan finishes a dunk in the second-quarter against the Lakers on Monday night.
No argument from those of us who have watched him this season, moving to third in the NBA in scoring behind only Durant and Curry with 38 points against a disoriented Lakers team without LeBron James. Ball added 27 points, Zach LaVine 26 and Derrick Jones with 13 off the bench as the Bulls threw yet another smothering defensive effort against a star, this time Davis who barely could even get the ball against the Bulls double teams, traps, help and team speed and anticipation. Davis had 20 points, just seven in the first half on four shots—"We haven't seen that type of double team this year. Credit Chicago for being very aggressive," said Lakers coach Frank Vogel—as the Bulls led for all but the first 29 seconds of the game and were leading by 21 with about two minutes left in the third when Davis seemed to want to get out of the game. His second technical did what Vogel wouldn't.
"They were trying to take him out of the game with post frontals and immediate double teams," noticed Vogel.
A few select words finished the job.
Though it was effectively over long before that as the Bulls hustling and relentless small lineups overwhelmed a mostly dysfunctional Lakers group. And now at 8-7, the preseason favorite head for an Eastern Conference trip. If LeBron doesn't get back soon they'll be fortunate to be heading for the play-in tournament.
The Bulls, one of the great surprises of the 2021-22 season, appear to be heading toward even more than respectability.
"The whole team plays for one another," said Ball. "We've got guys 6-7, 6-8 playing center. I'm playing power forward, AC's (Alex Caruso) playing power forward. Just the fight and the will we have as a collective unit. I feel we're all on the same page and have a common goal to win the game. And when you put your ego aside and high character is allowed to step up, that's what happens.
Lonzo Ball celebrates after hitting one of his seven three-pointers against his former team.
"We're a lot quicker than a lot of teams, so for us just being active with our hands and covering for one another," Ball explained about a defense surprisingly ranked top five in the league. "We're usually smaller than a lot of teams we are facing. But we are faster and we can use our hands to help us get steals and get deflections and get out on the break and do what we love to do. I think we are one of the top teams in the NBA. Obviously, we have a long way to go and a lot to prove, but we're moving in the right direction."
That included back to back wins in Los Angeles, the NBA's new version of the old Texas Triangle trip when the Rockets and Spurs were elite. Sure, Kawhi Leonard and James are out. But the Clippers had won seven straight and the Lakers had won three of their last four. Back to back in their building, the Bulls walked out with comfortable double digit victories.
And Los Angeles native DeRozan, by comparison, made supposed MVP candidates George and Davis look like guys without nicknames. You don't hear much about one of those cool ones for DeRozan because, well, you don't hear much about DeRozan. But the Clippers and Lakers saw too much as DeRozan in the two games shot 27 for 39 on his array of analytics challenged jump shots and even three of six threes.
"He's a really good three point shooter, but he chooses the ones he wants to take," explained Bulls coach Billy Donovan.
DeRozan averaged in the two games 36.5 points with his fifth game among the last nine with at least 32 points. DeRozan also made 16 of 17 free throws in the two games. He's now third in the league in free throw attempts, a category the Bulls haven't figured much in since Michael Jordan's days. DeRozan trails only human battering rams Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jimmy Butler.
DeRozan also averaged five rebounds and 5.5 assists in the two games. He's now averaging 26.9 per game on the season, third in the league to Durant and Curry.
And those aren't early empty points.
He saved a big lead in the fourth game of the season back in Toronto with 11 fourth quarter points. He was all over the then biggest wins in years consecutive over the Jazz, giving them their first loss as the last team in the league to lose a game, and Celtics. He had 32 against Utah and 37 against Boston in a game by comparison Jayson Tatum was no match. And it's not just scoring as DeRozan is posting top two career marks in shooting and rebounding and best with threes.
DeRozan has moved into a primary scoring role for the Bulls with most plays out of timeouts and late in games called for him. And making big plays and big scores at big times.
Yet, his biggest fan seems to be scoring magician LaVine.
"He was trying to force me to get 40 tonight," DeRozan admitted about LaVine late in the game. "But I told him I was tired; that's just us."
They're the most predatory scoring duo in the league with LaVine seventh at 25.9 points per game.
Tap to watch highlights from Chicago's dominant win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
With his first All-Star appearance last season and an Olympic gold medal, LaVine finally was gaining leaguewide recognition and creeping into the edge of the MVP conversation. DeRozan despite being a four-time All-Star and twice All-NBA, though not in the last four years, couldn't even seem to be told the secret handshake.
Among the betting services, the 6-6 DeRozan wasn't even among the top 30 named MVP candidates at the beginning of this month. We heard it all when he agreed to become a Bull as a free agent and a sign and trade deal was consummated. He wouldn't fit, wouldn't defend, didn't play the modern game, was too old at 32 and in decline moving into a facilitator's role with the San Antonio Spurs the last three years. Heck, the Raptors traded him so they could win. What were the Bulls thinking!
About wins, it turned out with the Bulls now 10-4 and tied for the most wins in the Eastern Conference.
"It's incredible just how efficient he's been, how poised he is," marveled Donovan. "He understands the length and time of the game. He doesn't really rush, he gets to his spots, he knows how to get to his spots. He feels really comfortable when he gets there; he's been efficient. He's scoring at an unbelievable level, doing it on not a lot of shots with the combination getting to the free throw line. So much of the game has turned analytical and if the score's tied, with five seconds to go, no one's worried about not getting twos at that point in time, you want to score a basket, right? He has made a career at being an incredible offensive player inside the three-point line. He's been on an incredible run and really, really efficient."
You don't hear much from DeRozan, who is one of the more cooperative players with media, honest and forthcoming, accommodating and generally devoid of turmoil. He embraced Canada like few players ever, becoming a national favorite. Perhaps his biggest controversy was the hurt he expressed being traded. So it seemed he was off to redevelopment San Antonio to fade away. Good soldier that he was, they asked him to pass more and shoot less. So he did. Observers don't need substance or depth. Just numbers. His was down, so the next step was out.
Which perhaps was why the reaction to the Bulls acquisition of DeRozan was so surprisingly negative. A four-time All-Star wanted to be a Bull. That was bad? DeRozan didn't say much, but he's apparently listened a lot.
"Chip on my shoulder?" DeRozan repeated to a post game question. "People saying I was washed (up) for the last few years, the narrative (he) won't fit. I can find all types of chips I use as motivation. The hours I put in (during) the offseason. I can go down the list, being counted out, being looked over, so many chips on my shoulder that I carry. Just want to be a winner and just want to enjoy this ride. Like I said the other night, we can't play this game forever. So I want to get as much as I can out of it, and that is competing, winning and having fun.
"I never looked at age as being an issue," DeRozan added. "People put the age limit on everything. The way I work, the way I take care of my body, the way I prepare, I knew what I was capable of doing. I just took different roads the past couple of years of playing basketball, trying to do the right thing and figuring it out. This time me just knowing my ability was always there. I never lost confidence. I never thought I couldn't be who I was before. Chicago allowed me to completely be myself."
It both overshadowed the Lakers and two welcome backs.
One was for injured Bulls guard Coby White, who made his first appearance of the season since June shoulder surgery. White was scoreless in about 11 minutes with two shots. Donovan said he wasn't surprised given how long White has been out. Donovan said the idea is just to get White on the court to begin the process slowly. The other welcome was for fan favorite Alex Caruso, who received a standing ovation after a first quarter Lakers video tribute. Caruso was his usual bothersome on defense, but he was scoreless in 34 minutes with one shot. He did have six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Caruso didn't get the superstar assignment this time for the 6-11 Davis. The 6-11 Tony Bradley continued to start, but he got plenty of help as the Bulls threw traps and double teams at Davis when he'd try to dribble or make a play. He quickly gave up the ball. But with Russell Westbrook at point guard, the Lakers seem impatient and rushed. Westbrook, a poor shooter, attempted more than twice as many shots as Davis.
Like the Clippers falling for the trap of matching small Sunday, the Lakers not reposting to Davis or eschewing the three-point shot (six of 32) thus enabled the Bulls strategy to succeed. When DeRozan at 11-11 was fouled on a three and Davis got his first technical before his first shot, the Bulls were on their way to a 14-point first quarter lead and 33-25 after one.
As active as the Bulls are defensively, the Lakers are as somnambulant.
How about this margin: The Lakers had a 31-11 edge in free throw attempts and 8-0 in second chance points. And lost by 18 and trailed by 28 with under three minutes left. The strategy seemed to be not to get too close to the Bulls to foul them.
Ball especially took advantage making seven of 10 threes for the second time in four games. He now is shooting 44 percent on threes for the season, 12th in the league and fourth among guards.
It's really a joy to watch the Bulls make extra passes, cut to the basket and race around on defense to help and recover while a much more celebrated team like the Lakers complains to the officials. LaVine and DeRozan also frequently screened for one another to force switches to produce better match ups for shots.
"We're all comfortable, just the friendship all of us have, the respect we have for one another, the things we do that you (media) guys may not see translate to the court," said DeRozan (like group chats post game with Covid-restricted Nikola Vucevic; no one is left behind). "Guys being comfortable, being themselves and playing for one another. When you have that type of chemistry, it's easy to pull out victories."
California natives Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 27 points and 38 points respectively.
It was 57-48 Bulls at halftime. And then the Bulls got hot and Davis melted down, Ball running ahead of the pack to wide open left corner threes with nary a Laker in sight, LaVine double pump slamming a blow by drive, Vogel working through his timeouts like missed defensive assignments. DeRozan's 13 third quarter points were punctuated by a fast break dunk (how ‘bout those young legs!), a spinning top, drop step turn and move for a score and a blow by drive to close the third 94-73 Bulls. Sure no LeBron, but that was another preseason prediction miss. Like forgetting about DeMar DeRozan.
"I said a long time ago nobody has egos, no one feels entitled," DeRozan said. "The only thing from the first day we got together was we wanted to win; you have to be serious about that. We're just showing that.
"I don't know where people get these narratives and make up these suggestions they make," DeRozan added. "It's definitely crazy, and if you cannot tell by this you need to take some medicine or something."
While the Bulls have had the cure for what has ailed their fans.