(670 The Score) In the aftermath of a season that started with such promise and ended in frustrating fashion, Bulls coach Billy Donovan had a simple message for his players.
“I just told them how much I appreciated them,” Donovan said after the Bulls were eliminated with a 116-100 loss to the Bucks in Game 5 of their first-round series Wednesday in Milwaukee. “They were great to work with. They always put the team first. They came to work every single day with the right mentality, the right attitude. It was a blessing for me to be able to work with them every single day. They were great to be around, and they built really good relationships and they were great to one another. They always put the team first, and they always put winning first.”
The Bulls went 46-36 in the regular season to earn their first playoff berth since 2017. They were tied for first place in the East at the All-Star break in February before a combination of injuries, poor shooting, defensive woes and a tough schedule in the last couple months sent them on a skid.
“This was a really, really special group to work with,” Donovan said. “I was really, really blessed and fortunate to be around all these guys. I think just the professionalism and the way they put the team first will always stand out to me, and then I think what we had to endure and go through with all the different missing pieces at different points in time during the year and the way they stuck together. They never complained, even with the COVID protocols and guys going in and out and testing and everything else. They kind of focused on what they could control. They never whined, never complained even when it got difficult.
“They tried to give each other their very, very best, and I’ll always be grateful for that. Like I said, I think their heart and their intention was always to the team first and to try to do what they could to help the team.”
Donovan’s refrain was one that was echoed by Bulls star forward DeMar DeRozan, whose All-Star play was instrumental in helping Chicago get out of the doldrums and take a step forward.
“I’m proud of every single person on our team, the young guys, the year that we had,” DeRozan said. “We had a lot of ups and downs. It was a helluva a ride. It’s going to be something, I’m pretty sure I’ll look back on it in a couple of weeks and start to miss it even more. It doesn’t always play out how you want, but you learn so much from it.”
Acquired by the Bulls in a sign-and-trade with the Spurs last summer, DeRozan reflected fondly on his first season in Chicago, even if it ended quietly as he scored just 11 points in the blowout loss Wednesday with fellow star Zach LaVine sidelined in the health and safety protocols.
“Perfect,” DeRozan said. “It couldn’t have went a better way. It’s been a great, great year, to say the least, honestly. Just being around the front office, teammates, the city – everything has been something more than I could’ve imagined. It’s kind of one of those dream come true type of situation of things that you didn’t expect to happen. It (went beyond) your imagination. So, it’s great. I’m already looking forward to next year, just getting back out there, doing it again.”
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.