LOS ANGELES – DeMar DeRozan was slightly surprised when his good friend Kyle Lowry called him early Tuesday morning to let him know he was being traded to the Charlotte Hornets.
Slightly being the key for the Bulls forward, because it wasn’t even close to the surprise that DeRozan felt later that day.
“I was more shocked with (former Bucks coach) Adrian Griffin getting fired with a record of 30-13, being second in the East,” DeRozan said. “It just shows you what kind of league we’re in where anything at any given moment can happen, whether it’s going good or something is going bad, you just got to be prepared for it. You kind of have an open mind this time of year that anything is possible.”
Players and coaches alike.
While Bulls coach Billy Donovan is in no danger of losing his job, let alone even being on the hot seat, he knows Griffin well, having him as an assistant coach in their Oklahoma City days.
It was another reminder to Donovan just how fragile these coaching jobs are.
“I felt bad,” Donovan said. “I thought he did a really good job when we were together. When you don’t know all the inner-workings of those things (in Milwaukee) it’s hard, but as a coach, a guy, and my relationship with him, I really enjoyed our time together. Anytime you see something like that happen so quickly you always feel bad about it.”
Griffin lasted just 43 games, but will also be paid through the 2026-27 season, and with the Bucks already hiring Doc Rivers, the franchise is currently paying three coaches (including Mike Budenholzer).
“You always have to be grateful each and every day to do it,” Donovan said of the current landscape of the NBA coaching profession. “I drive home and get off the interstate, and there’s people standing out there on the street asking for money or people sleeping in front of police precincts. It’s so easy not to be grateful for the things you have and the opportunity you have, and I always try and keep that in perspective.
“I get a chance every day to do something I love … I try and view it that way.”
Have nots
While DeRozan was glad to hear that teammate Alex Caruso was invited to be in the Team USA player pool for the Paris Summer Olympics, he also admitted that it was “curious” that his phone didn’t ring.
The six-time All-Star played in the 2014 World Cup and then won gold in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
“Nah, nobody asked me nothing,” DeRozan said. “I was even curious on how they went about it? But it’s all good. I’m happy for whoever is in the pool. If I was asked I would have been a part of it for sure. I already did it, but being a part of it for 2014 and 2016 was definitely an honor. So I’m happy for whoever is in it.”
As far as where he’s placed the gold medal, that’s a mystery for another day for DeRozan to solve.
“No, and that’s crazy to say,” DeRozan said. “I’ve got to ask my mom.”
Enemy territory
The Bulls released a video of Zach LaVine trying to give DeRozan – A USC alum – some UCLA gear with the team practicing at LaVine’s old college this week, but DeRozan let the secret out.
“I’ve never even seen you wearing UCLA (gear),” DeRozan said to his teammate.
That’s because LaVine is actually a USC fan when it comes to football.
“We all know what the real school is,” DeRozan said of practicing in enemy territory. “It’s always fun being here and making fun of Zach and everything. That’s always cool from that aspect.”