The Chicago Bulls took on the Sacramento Kings yesterday afternoon at the United Center. The game was the first time DeMar DeRozan had been back in Chicago since being a part of the sign-and-trade deal that sent him to Sacramento and netted the Bulls Chris Duarte and a pair of second-round picks. Both teams came into the contest middling in their conferences, with the Kings at 19-19 and the Bulls at 18-20.
DeRozan was shipped to Sacramento with the expectation that he would help elevate the team to become one of the premier teams in the West and so far Sacramento hasn’t lived up to that. With DeRozan’s former team only a couple of games behind them, the Kings desperately needed to secure the tough 124-119 victory that they pulled out. The game featured a touching tribute to DeRozan during the first quarter, making Chicago Bulls fans think back on his three-year tenure.
DeMar DeRozan Returns To Chicago
Cheers burst out from the crowd when DeRozan was introduced at the United Center for the first time as a visiting player in over three years. DeRozan suited up in a Kings uniform Sunday afternoon but showed the United Center faithful all of his trademark moves that he had displayed in a Bulls jersey during his tenure. DeRozan finished with 21 points and helped the Sacramento Kings wrestle away a 124-119 win from the Chicago Bulls to earn their seventh straight win. All of these wins have come since firing Mike Brown as their head coach.
The game started and stayed tight throughout, featuring a staggering 28 lead changes in one of the more entertaining matchups for the Chicago Bulls this season. Before the game got too serious down the stretch, the team ran a tribute video for DeRozan in the first quarter, highlighting some of his best moments in a Bulls uniform. DeRozan led the team through one of the more challenging times for the franchise and gave his everything for Chicago fans who showed the veteran their appreciation.
DeRozan left his mark on the Chicago Bulls, scoring at a 25.5 PPG clip, good for second-best in the history of the franchise. He was an All-Star twice in his three seasons, including an All-NBA Second Team selection in his first season in Chicago. After Lonzo Ball got injured, the iteration of the Bulls that DeRozan was hoping to play with was never the same and the prospects of the team diminished. No one would’ve batted an eye if DeRozan asked to get out sooner or preserved himself for his next opportunity, but he didn’t. DeRozan gave Chicago his all and for three years, was a shining light on a dim, dim court at the United Center.
Final Thoughts
In the first season that DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls are separated, they are having very different, yet similar seasons. The records are similar and that is a good sign for the Bulls, but not the Kings, who are streaking since they fired Brown. The Kings expected to be much better than they currently are, but with their recent seven-game winning streak things are getting back on track. As for the Chicago Bulls, they are playing above their expectations and providing a quality product for fans while they try to reconstruct this team after trading DeRozan in the offseason.
The move was the right decision for both parties. The Bulls are in no condition to help the 35-year-old DeRozan contend for a championship and DeRozan owed it to himself to take his talents to a team with more legitimate hope for postseason success. The assets Chicago got back haven’t shown their value yet, but the opportunities that DeRozan’s absence created have their value for a team like the Bulls looking for a path forward with their group of young players.
