Head coach Billy Donovan informed the press, including K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, that the Bulls recently conducted a players-only meeting after their disappointing loss to the Thunder in the season opener. The Bulls suffered a major defeat with a score of 124-104 in their home game.
Donovan revealed that when he entered the locker room, the players expressed their desire for more time to discuss amongst themselves. He appreciated the fact that the players took responsibility for their subpar performance.
“We all want to win,” stated Zach LaVine. “When you have a game like this in the very first game and conversations don’t happen, frustration builds up. It’s unfortunate that it happened in Game One, but it did. Now we have to move forward.”
Center Nikola Vucevic hopes that this experience will serve as a lesson for the team, according to Johnson.
“A lot of guys expressed important things that needed to be said,” Vucevic stated. “I believe we can use this as an opportunity to learn and make the necessary changes.
“It wasn’t anything dramatic, no fights or anything like that. It was a constructive discussion. This is one of the first times since I’ve been here that we had such a conversation, and it was much needed.
“I started sharing my thoughts, and I was glad to see so many guys chiming in with their valuable input. Not one person is completely right. Everyone had something to contribute and saw things differently. These constructive conversations can only have positive outcomes. I believe communication is crucial.
“I’ve been on teams in the past where we’ve had these discussions, and they almost always helped us make improvements and move forward.”
As Johnson reports, Vucevic also had a heated exchange with Donovan during the third quarter. He discussed the incident after the game.
“I was just dissatisfied with some of the things we were doing,” he explained. “Obviously, I expressed my frustration more aggressively than I should have in the moment. Those things happen in the heat of the moment when you’re trying to win and contribute to the team’s success. I didn’t like what was happening, but we talked it out, and it’s in the past now.”
On his part, Donovan stated that he had no problem with the exchange, although he acknowledged that both parties could have handled it differently.
“It wasn’t disrespectful or anything like that,” said Donovan, as reported by Johnson. “He was just frustrated with our performance, and I can’t blame him. I agreed with him. However, we need to find a way to solve our problems and address those issues together.
“I believe confrontation can be extremely beneficial. It’s a healthy part of the process, and it should happen as much as possible.”
