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"That continuity goes so far," DeRozan said
Monday. "Sometimes you've got to hit the wall hard to help each
other get back up. ... That's one thing that always put me in
position to have successful teams -- continuity."
DeRozan said "the third time is the charm" when asked whether
pairing with Zach LaVine can be different in their third season
together in Chicago.
The Bulls lost a play-in game to the eventual Eastern Conference
champion Miami Heat after eliminating Toronto in April. They
last won a playoff series in 2015.
DeRozan, 34, is a six-time All-Star with an expiring deal he
signed to join the Bulls in 2021. DeRozan and the Bulls have
communicated about stretching his current contract beyond this
season, his 14th. But DeRozan said he's staying out of it and
relying on Aaron Goodwin to handle his business.
"I have an agent. He deals with it and I tell him to leave me
the hell alone so I can focus on my five kids," DeRozan said.
"I'm not kidding you, I try not to focus on that and let him
handle what he needs to handle."
DeRozan isn't itching to set any new landmarks or personal bests
with his next contract. He said most of what he needs and
expects out of a contract is similar or the same as it was when
he was acquired in a sign-and-trade with the San Antonio Spurs
in 2021.
"All of it stays the same, but the goal at the end of the day is
wanting to win. The way I look at it, I look at it from both
sides," DeRozan said. "It's just got to make sense. For me, it's
all about understanding what we can do to win. How we can win.
Obviously this is a place I want to be. You can take that out of
the equation."
--Field Level Media
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