$215 Million NBA All Star Faces Friction as Trouble in Paradise Continues for Chicago Bulls, as per Reports

The Chicago Bulls had been a force to be reckoned with in the past. While the franchise had always had its share of drama to deal with, this season, they have reportedly dealt with more internal discords. As the 9th seed in the NBA Eastern Conference with a record of 19-21, the Bulls are slowly climbing the ladder. Last month, one of their own came forward and revealed the cracks within the franchise. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that there were “on-court issues” between the team. But recent reports suggest that it hasn’t gotten any better.

As per Chicago Sun Times reporter, Joe Cowley, Zach LaVine and head coach Billy Donovan’s relationship still remains “somewhat strained”.

What is happening with Zach LaVine and Billy Donovan?

Billy Donovan resorted to benching Zach LaVine in a game against the Orlando Magic in November. After the game, the $215 million star said that he disagreed with Donovan’s decision. “Do I agree with it? No. I think I can go out there and still be me even if I miss some shots“.

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Zach LaVine is in his first year of a five-year deal with the Bulls. But it has been heavily speculated that he is unhappy with the team, despite his player-coach relationship still being deemed as “workable”.

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Unfortunately for Donovan, he has also faced disconnects from other players. Charania wrote, “In the third season of Billy Donovan?s tenure, there?s also been increased skepticism within the locker room about the head coach and the coaching staff“.

NBA teams zoom in on the situation

Though the Bulls had put together many “remedy attempts”, the team has not been able to see “eye-to-eye” with Zach LaVine. The NBA All-Star has also been vocal about the rising tensions. LaVine spoke to The Athletic, “There?s a certain level of frustration in people trying to figure out what we can do to help right the ship“.

He said that the team has not been happy with losing games. Rumors placed LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, the supposed stars of the team, as players who locked horns.

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Because of a growing disconnect between LaVine and the Bulls, multiple franchises are keenly observing the situation. With the February 9th trade deadline approaching, it would be interesting to see what happens.