The Chicago Bulls still can’t get over their slump. They now have an 11-game losing streak, the longest in the NBA. Head coach Billy Donovan and his men had the worst month in franchise history as they went 0-11 in February.
Chicago’s 11th straight defeat came at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers as they lost 121-112. Seven out of the nine players who played against the Blazers scored double digits, but it wasn’t enough to get the win. However, the Bulls also committed 20 turnovers compared to Portland’s 12.
Matas Buzelis was also expected to perform after coming off a career night. This time around, he scored 20 points but shot only 37.5% from the field and had four turnovers. He was still the Bulls’ leading scorer in this game, but Portland still won.
Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan keeps it real after their 11th straight loss
Donovan says he is still trying to figure out how to push his team to come together and get the win. He still wants to focus on developing the young guys and their teamwork, not instilling a tanking mindset. Despite everything, he said that he’s not unaware of the situation of a future draft pick at stake.
“The discussions I had with [the front office] when the trade deadline was finalized was, ‘Nothing has changed, try and get these guys to play to the best of their ability; we know it’s going to be somewhat challenging with seven new players,’ ’ Donovan said. “Even talking to ownership, it’s been, ‘Hey, go out there and do your very best.’ There has been no indication from ownership or the front office of, ‘Hey, listen, if we finish here, here or here’ or ‘Listen, don’t worry about playing these guys; just play these guys.’ There’s been none of that at all.”
Donovan’s statement came after the unfortunate news regarding Chicago’s all-time worst month in franchise history. At the same time, however, Donovan understands how this works in their favor, potentially increasing their chances of success in the draft lottery.
“Philosophically, I get the dynamics once June, whatever date that draft date is, I get how that impacts all of that,” he continued. “It’s not like I’m sitting over there saying, ‘Well, it’s a close game right now, let’s sit Josh [Giddey] and Tre [Jones] and Jalen [Smith].’ There has not been that. And I think if I did do that, they would say, ‘Listen, you need to put the best guys out there.’ ’’
Donovan will surely have a rough couple of months ahead. One goal is certain: snap the losing streak so they can get out of the bad side of the Bulls’ record books. As for their future, they certainly have a handful of young players they can build around.
The Chicago Bulls select this guard in Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft
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