With trade options not progressing for Zach LaVine , the NBA rumor mill has turned to DeMar DeRozan as the next potential target for the Chicago Bulls to trade before the Feb. 8 deadline.The NBA rumor mill has shifted to focusing on DeMar DeRozan as the next possible target for the Chicago Bulls to trade before the Feb. 8 deadline, as trade options for Zach LaVine are not advancing.
DePaul has dismissed men’s basketball coach Tony Stubblefield, signaling another fresh start for the struggling program.
After appealing to a federal court to end his suspension from the team due to a rape charge in Kansas, Terrence Shannon Jr. has returned to Illinois.
Each Wednesday during the season, Tribune writers will provide an update on what occurred and what's coming up for the Bulls, Sky, and local basketball.
The latest round of trade rumors has DeMar DeRozan's name as a topic of discussion.
The list of potential suitors for DeMar DeRozan is growing before the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline, as reported by Sam Amico of Hoops Wire. This group includes the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat, according to the report.
All three teams have common characteristics: they are strong contenders in the Eastern Conference who could gain from the addition of DeRozan's reliable shooting and veteran leadership. But it's unlikely that this interest will have a significant impact in the next two weeks. The Bulls' front office has consistently expressed a desire to re-sign DeRozan as a key veteran for the team’s future, despite reports indicating little progress toward a deal.
In December, DeRozan informed the Tribune that he does not want to be traded from the Bulls this season and still hopes to extend his contract with the team for the future in Chicago.
DeRozan stated, “Chicago is Chicago to me. I love it here. Obviously it’s a place I want to be in my career. None of that has changed. I don’t have no other type of doubts or feelings or suggestions to be elsewhere. That don’t cross my mind.”
There is no indication that the Bulls are interested in trading DeRozan, as they have consistently expressed their desire to re-sign him as a veteran cornerstone for the team’s future, despite reports of little progress toward a deal.
DePaul has fired men’s basketball coach Tony Stubblefield.
On Monday, DePaul announced that they had terminated men’s basketball coach Tony Stubblefield, who had been in charge of the program for 18 games into his third season. The team has a 3-15 record this season and has not won a single game in the Big East. They may end the season without defeating a conference opponent. During Stubblefield’s tenure, DePaul posted a 9-38 record in the Big East, losing 20 of their last 21 games against Big East opponents.Athletic director DeWayne Peevy stated, “After assessing the current state of our men’s basketball program, a decision was made to change the head coaching position.”
Stubblefield was a first-time head coach and started at DePaul in 2021 after working as an assistant at Oregon for 11 seasons. He was in the third year of a five-year contract.
Peevy expressed, “I came here to win. I didn’t leave Kentucky to be last place or struggling through seasons. I didn’t just need another job.”
DePaul will once again search for a head coach who can bring success to the program. The Blue Demons have not had a winning season since 2007. They have not qualified for the NCAA tournament since 2004 and have not finished higher than seventh in the Big East since 2005, when they joined the conference.
Peevy also said to the Associated Press that DePaul is at the bottom of the Big East in NIL opportunities. He mentioned that the team's poor performance on the court was making it difficult for people to donate money to NIL because they are waiting to see what happens. Terrence Shannon Jr. is back after a court ordered Illinois to end his suspension.Terrence Shannon Jr. came back for Illinois on Sunday after he was suspended for six games due to a rape charge in Kansas.
Shannon was suspended on Dec. 28 after being arrested for a rape charge related to an incident in September in Lawrence, Kan. After Shannon filed a petition, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Lawless ruled on Friday that the university was violating Shannon’s civil rights through the suspension and
issued an injunction to make the school reinstate
the All-Big Ten guard to the team.
Illinois went 4-2 when Shannon was not playing. He played four games for Illinois between the charges being filed on Dec. 5 and his arrest and suspension.
In his first game back, Shannon scored 16 points and made four assists to help the No. 14 Illini win 86-63 against Rutgers. Shannon was welcomed by Illinois fans with a loud applause when he entered the game.
“Our team feels whole again,” teammate Justin Harmon said. “We have our best player back.”
Number of the week: 12 The Bulls made 12 assists in the first quarter of Monday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns
— and assisted all 10 of their opening made baskets.
It was a nearly perfect start for a team that had trouble getting things moving in the early weeks of this season. The Bulls are not a high-assist team compared to the rest of the NBA. They rank third-to-last in the statistic with an average of 24.4 assists per game.
Coach Billy Donovan mentioned this statistic is tricky — one reason assist numbers go up during wins is that an assist reflects a made shot, so a higher number of assists means a good shooting night as well as good ball movement. “The biggest thing I tried to look at is potential assists,” Donovan said. “If you don’t make shots, the assists sometimes are not going to be there. So I really try to look to potential assists to see what kind of shots are we generating with the pass, what’s that number in relation to the rest of the league, those types of things. I think generally when you’re taking shots off the pass, shooting percentages generally increase.” But stretches like that first quarter in Phoenix show how the Bulls can improve their standing by making the extra pass. At times, the Suns defense slowed down after making three or four rotations, leaving shooters like Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu wide open for corner 3s.
If the Bulls can keep the ball moving, they can continue to gain early advantages against high-performing teams like Phoenix.
Week ahead: Bulls
at Lakers, 9:30 p.m., NBCSCH
at Trail Blazers, 8 p.m., NBCSCH
vs. Raptors, 7 p.m., NBCSCH
What we’re reading this morning
- Wednesday: off
- Thursday: Chicago Bulls’ Lonzo Ball experiencing ‘no setbacks’ in recovery but has not been cleared to sprint
- Friday: off
- Saturday: off
- Sunday: Column: Chicago Bulls core could be on its last legs with the NBA trade deadline approaching
- Monday: off
- Tuesday: What is the plan for the Chicago Sky and first-year coach Teresa Weatherspoon in free agency?
There are concerns about court-storming after Caitlin Clark collided with a fan. Will conferences take action?
- The Utah Jazz are performing very well in the NBA, and former Chicago Bull Kris Dunn is a big factor in their success
- DeMar DeRozan is adjusting to meet the Chicago Bulls' needs, even if it means scoring less for the 6-time All-Star
- Keeping an eye on Zach LaVine: Chicago Bulls star will be out for at least 1 week due to a right ankle injury
- Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vučević says NBA's Serbian players are deeply affected by the death of Dejan Milojević
- This week's events in Chicago basketball
- Jan. 28, 1967: Lew Alcindor leads UCLA to victory over Loyola at Chicago Stadium
- Even though a huge snowstorm brought 23 inches to the city, basketball fans still made it to Chicago Stadium
- to watch Lew Alcindor, who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
,who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Only one lane of traffic to the Stadium was open, as legendary UCLA coach John Wooden remembered it, but 17,024 turned out to watch his Bruins take on the Loyola Ramblers.
Alcindor impressed by scoring 35 points and grabbing 20 rebounds in UCLA's 82-67 victory over Loyola. The following day, he contributed 45 points and 12 rebounds as the Bruins triumphed 120-82 over Illinois. Legendary UCLA coach John Wooden recalled the high anticipation surrounding Alcindor's appearances, much like the excitement when Wilt Chamberlain went to Kansas years earlier.UCLA finished the season with a 30-0 record, securing the first of a historic seven consecutive NCAA titles.
“Absolutely. If he felt ready or even expressed a desire for it, there wouldn't be any issue. That's how much confidence we have in him.” — DeMar DeRozan commenting on whether Coby White should start attempting game-winning shots for the Bulls
The NBA trade rumor mill has shifted focus from Zach LaVine to DeMar DeRozan as a possible target for the Chicago Bulls before the Feb. 8 deadline. According to Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, there is a growing list of potential suitors for DeMar DeRozan ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline, including the Philadelphia 76ers and New York…
“Every place we went, people were anxious to see him,” Wooden recalled. “It was the same thing years before when Wilt Chamberlain went to Kansas. The media, everybody was primed up for him.”
UCLA ended the season 30-0, winning the first of a record seven straight NCAA titles.
Quotable
“Without a doubt. If he got it rolling or even if he looked at me and said he wanted it, wouldn’t be no problem. That’s how much trust we got in him.” — DeMar DeRozan on whether Coby White should start attempting game-winning shots for the Bulls
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