Bulls Players Lauded For Even Bothering To Show Up Anymore

CHICAGO--Chicago Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro lauded his players today for having the resilience and fortitude to bother showing up for games anymore. Following dispiriting losses to the Toronto Raptors and New Jersey Nets, the Bulls still, against all reason and logic, showed up to a game against the Atlanta Hawks, which they lost 118-83.

Del Negro said it was an example of the players never-say-die attitude.

“They have every reason in the world to stay home and not even bother with this shit anymore,” Del Negro told reporters after practice on Wednesday. “They know they can’t win, they know they are poorly coached, and they know that they are overmatched every time they step on the court. And yet, they still manage to show up to the games. If I had half the balls these guys have I would...well, I would probably quit this stinking job.”

Because of their perseverance, Del Negro called the Bulls “the toughest team I’ve ever been around.”

“They are the toughest team I’ve ever been around,” he said. “Anybody who can continue going on with their basketball careers in the face of this utter and complete hopelessness and despair must have a reservoir of toughness beyond anything I’ve ever seen. It’s inspirational. It just goes to show you that when the going gets tough, the tough show up and go through the motions.”

It’s not just Del Negro that is throwing praise at the Bulls. The local media has started to take notice of the team’s toughness and grit as well.

“I’ve seen a lot of Bulls teams over the years but this one might be the toughest,” K.C. Johnson wrote in the Chicago Tribune. “Every day, day in and day out, they show up. It doesn’t matter how low things get. Say what you want about Vinny Del Negro, but he still has these guys playing hard for him. Well, not hard exactly, but playing. Dribbling and jumping and running and stuff. Well not exactly running, but occasionally jogging, which is pretty tiring if you do it for four quarters.”

The grind of showing up to play every single day has started to wear on the team, however, as evidenced by an incident earlier in the week in which opposing point guard was allowed to tie his shoes in the middle of a possession with no Bulls attempting to take the ball. As embarrassing as that was, the players still laced up their shoes and showed up for the next game rather than dig holes and jump in them.

“I guess we probably should have done something to stop him, like go grab the ball or foul him or whatever,” said forward Luol Deng. “But you know, we’re a little dispirited right now and none of us felt like making the effort. Was it embarrassing? Yes. Will it happen again? Probably. Do I care? Not in the least.”

So is there any hope for a Bulls turnaround this season? Sure, says guard John Salmons.

“I still think we can turn this around,” said Salmons. “We’re only six games under .500 and we showed last season what we can do when we pull it all together. Then again, last season we had Ben Gordon. Compared to the rest of us, that dour, dull son of a bitch plays like Kevin Garnett on six energy drinks.”