The Chicago Bulls are in the midst of an ongoing division between their head coach and top star, and it seems the locker room is also divided on the issue. However, they are all on one particular side.
The Bulls have been one of the biggest disappointments in the NBA this season. They are three games under .500 (26-29) and barely holding on to a spot in the Play-In tournament. What makes the team’s play so surprising is the roster has not changed much from the group that finished 46-36 last season and reached the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference.
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Without a doubt, point guard Lonzo Ball being sidelined all season has had a major effect, but a greater issue may be the reported problems between top star Zach LaVine and head coach Billy Donovan. And it seems that the schism between the two and the front office has led to a line being drawn in the locker room, and the players are not behind the two-time All-Star.
Chicago Bulls players not behind Zach LaVine in drama with head coach
The issues between LaVine and Donovan have reportedly been going on for months and hit a high point when the guard publicly disagreed with being benched late in a game earlier in the season. The problems LaVine has also extended all the way up the organization, despite signing a massive five-year, $215 million deal with the Chicago Bulls in the summer.
- Zach LaVine stats (2022-2023): 23.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 37% 3PT
It is part of why he has been linked to trades before Thursday’s deadline, including final-hour conversations with the Knicks about a possible deal.
Well, it seems LaVine’s teammates are over his antics, and ESPN 1000 in Chicago radio host David Kaplan reported (via Daniel Greenberg) that with the relationship between the star and coach having “sailed,” every other player in the Chicago Bulls locker room is on Donovan’s side of the divide.
This latest update in the drama makes it all the more surprising that the team preferred not to be sellers at the NBA trade deadline and still has big hopes to get into this year’s playoffs and make some noise.