NEW YORK — Zach LaVine and his representation are open for him to be elsewhere, Alex Caruso is dealing with yet another injury and the only part of Patrick Williams’ game that’s getting consistent is his inconsistency.
Just 17 games in, and everything already feels wrong about this Bulls season.
Yet with so much seemingly crumbling around him, DeMar DeRozan is opposed to the front office making drastic changes.
“I never look at that as a go-to,’’ DeRozan said. “We can do it. That’s why I’m so frustrated, because we can do it. It’s not like we’re playing against the ’96 Bulls every single night. We can go out there and compete against anybody, we can beat anybody. It’s just a matter of from tip-ball to the end, playing the right way, putting an IQ into the game, understand what we’ve got to do and how hard we’ve got to do it.’’
The veteran makes it sound so simple. But for this team, nothing appears simple.
That doesn’t mean DeRozan was wrong in the moment.
Yes, this roster isn’t working, and it was never going to work after last year. It was broken then, and it’s broken now.
Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has shown an ability to be deliberate in his decision-making since Day 1 on the job, and that actually might come in handy.
There’s no reason for him to make knee-jerk moves because of frustration and disappointment.
There’s no real trade market for LaVine right now.
There really shouldn’t be in late November. Give it time.
Several sources have indicated that trading Caruso isn’t currently on the table. Give it time.
DeRozan and the Bulls have seen contract talks on his extension go almost cold. Give it time.
That might mean a lot more bad basketball on the horizon for this team, with the trade deadline still months away.
What Karnisovas can do right now is face it and let the fan base know where his head is at. He was given an official media request on this road trip but still was unwilling to schedule a meeting.
Not a great look by him these days with the Bulls proving to be so underwhelming.
But time is on Karnisovas’ side.
There will be a growing market for LaVine as the season goes on. The Raptors improved to 8-8 after beating the Bulls on Friday night, and as playoff possibilities grow, Toronto’s need for a proven scorer will, too. Then there’s the “Little Engine That Could’’ in Orlando, sporting one of the better records in the Eastern Conference and having an over-crowded point-guard room.
It would be tough to make LaVine’s money work in a deal, but DeRozan might fit perfectly there. He can add leadership and an expiring contract if the Magic want to move on after the season.
Magic guard Jalen Suggs would be a perfect fit in a return package, helping out the point-guard spot as well as adding a player that has always had the Bulls as a destination place.
But until the trade market picks up, DeRozan knows the only thing he and his teammates can do is play better.
“That’s the frustrating part of it, we show spurts of it,’’ DeRozan said. “We just gotta figure it out. It sucks, it’s frustrating, we all hate losing, hate being in the position we’re in. No one is going to feel sorry for us.’’
