I don’t need a Porsche. Would I like to have one in my driveway? Sure. But I’d be foolish to funnel my money into such a luxury. Now, might things be different if I was rolling in dough because of my breakfast tapas restaurant idea? Absolutely, but that isn’t the situation we’re in (yet …).
I have to recognize that.
DeMar DeRozan is that Porsche, and the Chicago Bulls are me – aka the person with zero culinary background and an infatuation with small-plate meals. This isn’t the right time for Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley to invest in a *high-quality* 35-year-old six-time All-Star. The Bulls have finished below .500 in back-to-back seasons and have only one playoff win to show for under their pre-existing core. Change is needed.
They might think that DeRozan’s status and resume will help them get to where they want to go. But the truth is that keeping him around on a hefty payday would likely do more harm than good. Unfortunately, the chances of the Bulls realizing that are slim, especially as the veteran continues to say everything they want to hear.
In a recent appearance , DeMar DeRozan re-affirmed his desire to stay in Chicago. He even gave the front office their props and str🐼essed that there is 🍃more winning he hopes to accomplish.
“It’s definitely somewhere I’d like to return to … When the job ain’t done with me – no matter how tough the situation my look – I’m one of those guys who try to stick it through and make something out of nothing,” DeMar DeRozan said. “The city is great. I love the city. The organization has been great, so it’s definitely a place I would love to return to and just take care of unfinished business.”
Music to Arturas Karnisovas ears?
DeMar DeRozan Isn’t Making it Easy
It’s not you, DeMar. It’s me. Er … well … it’s the Bulls.
You continue to say all the right things. You continue to play a shocking number of minutes. You continue to knock down clutch buckets. And you continue to sound like a locker room leader. Putting aside the win-loss column, DeMar DeRozan’s time in Chicago has been nothing short of admirable. He’s completely held up his end of the three-year, $82 million contract.
But that doesn’t mean the Bulls have to force things.
Again, he simply isn’t the right player at the right time, and the Bulls have to be the ones to realize that. It will not be DeRozan’s fault if they offer him another multi-year deal that nears $40 million annually – which has already been the rumor. If you’re the aging hard worker trying to cash in on one last big deal, you 100 percent have to entertain that kind of offer. And, if he ultimately does return, we shouldn’t hold that against him.
Instead, we’ll have every reason to hold it against the Bulls. The move would represent another short-sighted decision that embraces mediocrity and further hamstrings the organization financially. We’ve seen what this team accomplishes with DeMar DeRozan miscast as their No. 1 player. Unless they make a shocking – and extremely unrealistic – trade for a true superstar, the same old story will play out.
This is especially true with Nikola Vucevic still signed long-term and Lonzo Ball’s money still on the books. Even if the group is able to trade Zach LaVine’s contract (which is really the only feasible way they can keep DeRozan and stay under the tax), we ෴just saw what a season looks li🍷ke with DeRozan, Vucevic, and Coby White leading the show. They finished 39-43 and fell in the Play-In Tournament.
If Arturas Karnisovas wants to stand by his vows for change at his end-of-season press conference, letting the DeMar DeRozan Dream go is the easiest way. To lazily bring this back to my initial metaphor, everyone can understand why I want a Porsche, but that doesn’t mean I should buy it.
