DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls was ejected with one second remaining in Friday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors after arguing with the Raptors’ bench.
According to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, DeRozan was irritated that Raptors forward Pascal Siakam attempted a three-pointer with three seconds remaining while Toronto was leading by 12 points and could have let the clock run out. After the game, Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic told Bulls coach Billy Donovan that they were focused on the point differential (for tiebreakers) during the in-season tournament game, but Toronto had already been eliminated when Orlando defeated Boston earlier in the day.
“I don’t care about no in-season tournament points, or anything else. “I just want to respect the game,” DeRozan said. “Hold it if the roles were reversed and I had the ball.” That’s all there is to it.”
“I mean, I knew that (they were eliminated),” DeRozan continued. “But I wasn’t interested in that either. Everyone was yelling at him, ‘Score, score, score.’ Take the victory. Get the hell out of here. As I previously stated, if the roles were reversed, whether in need of in-season tournament points or not, I would hold the ball out of respect for my opponents. Particularly if there is no shot clock. That’s just my opinion.”
Of course, the Bulls’ main concern is that they are now 5-12, having lost three straight and six of their last seven games. According to Johnson, DeRozan was so frustrated by the latest defeat that he ripped a towel during a timeout and tore his jersey after being ejected.
“I can’t pull it off.” I’m completely frustrated. And I believe it’s fair as a competitor,” DeRozan said. “Everyone in this locker room is angry. It comes from a good place of being a competitor and desperately wanting to figure it out. Combine a couple of victories. That, I believe, has the potential to change everything for us.
“… We have to push ourselves. We can’t have those spiritual discussions. We have to challenge each other to go all the way out there. Being challenged is a good thing. Demand more of yourself than you have in the past, including myself. That’s where we are.”
As previously stated, Chicago’s situation is unlikely to improve anytime soon. The team has a very difficult schedule coming up in the next few weeks, so the Bulls will have to play much better to have a chance to turn their season around.
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