Chicago Bulls' Luol Deng has something to prove
That he's not the soft slacker some believe him to be after his injury last year
It would be hard to find many people who are looking forward to the Bulls' opener Thursday night more than Luol Deng.
Deng was two things last year: much maligned and very much sidelined, the former having everything to do with the latter.
He was called soft. How much could a stress fracture hurt?
He was called selfish. Why wouldn't he suck it up and play?
He had to listen to that and more while he sat. And he had to read a Bulls press release that let everyone know "he will be encouraged to challenge himself physically, and if the symptoms remain minimal, he will be allowed an expeditious return to play."
Fans and media commended the Bulls for what looked to be their tough stand against a pampered athlete.
And what did Deng do? He took it. He could have spoken up, could have answered the critics, but he decided to wait quietly, bide his time and heal.
"There was no way I could have come out and said anything that would have changed anyone's mind until I play," he said Tuesday. "That's why I'm so excited for this season. I think it will shut a lot of people up."
It is not a reach to say that if Deng can get back to what he was two seasons ago, the Bulls will be very good this year. But it's a big "if," a Shaq-sized "if," and some of the Bulls are tiptoeing around the notion, not wanting to pin their hopes on it.
Others can't help themselves.
"We need him," guard Derrick Rose said.
The term "stress fracture" doesn't sound like much, and that probably added to the perception problem Deng faced last year. "Fractured leg" carries more weight and more sympathy.
"I couldn't play," he said. "I would have been stupid if I had said, 'You know what? I'm just going to lace them up and play.' I probably would have missed this year if I did.
"I was really close to having surgery for a fractured tibia, which in some cases is career-ending. But I didn't want to take the criticism personally. I tried to be smart about it, tried to be true to myself. I know how hard I worked for this game."
When you're wearing street clothes during the first year of a six-year, $71 million contract and when your team goes out and trades for John Salmons to play the same position you do, it doesn't make you Mr. Popular. Deng heard the grumbling among Bulls fans.
It's amazing how quickly public sentiment moves on. When Deng wasn't getting criticized for sitting last season, he was being left for dead. Salmons played well after being acquired from Sacramento, and suddenly Deng looked as necessary as wisdom teeth.
That was a long way from July 2008, when the Bulls gave him the long-term deal.
"Obviously we're incredibly happy to get Luol signed," then-general manager John Paxson said at the time. "It's the type of thing that gives him security and gives us the direction we're going to go here in the future."
But things change, and now Deng feels like he has to show everybody again. It's not a bad thing to have a few more logs thrown on the fire. His teammates see it. They named him one of three captains.
Now he just wants to stay healthy. It's not asking too much, is it?
"I'm a rhythm guy," he said. "I need my rhythm. When I start missing practices, it really affects my rhythm. Some guys are able to sit out practices and show up at game time. I really need to get my practice in."
In 2006-07, he played all 82 games and averaged a career-high 18.8 points and 7.1 rebounds. In the playoffs, his numbers increased to 22.2 and 8.7. He said he didn't miss a practice all season.
The next year, he missed 19 games to injuries. Last season, he missed 33 regular-season games, as well as the thrilling playoff series against the Celtics.
"I can't describe how hard it was to sit out and watch that playoff series," he said. "I don't think I'll ever erase that memory until I play again and enjoy it with the guys."
Deng's game is predicated on movement, which sounds obvious -- in basketball, you move, right? But he needs to be slashing to the basket or moving off a screen to hit jumpers.
The Spurs come to the United Center on Thursday night, and Deng will be there, slashing. And if the critics are slashing too?
"Those people don't know me personally," he said. "I just have to wait for the season. I'm really excited. I'm determined and I'm focused."
Deng was two things last year: much maligned and very much sidelined, the former having everything to do with the latter.
He was called soft. How much could a stress fracture hurt?
He was called selfish. Why wouldn't he suck it up and play?
He had to listen to that and more while he sat. And he had to read a Bulls press release that let everyone know "he will be encouraged to challenge himself physically, and if the symptoms remain minimal, he will be allowed an expeditious return to play."
Fans and media commended the Bulls for what looked to be their tough stand against a pampered athlete.
And what did Deng do? He took it. He could have spoken up, could have answered the critics, but he decided to wait quietly, bide his time and heal.
"There was no way I could have come out and said anything that would have changed anyone's mind until I play," he said Tuesday. "That's why I'm so excited for this season. I think it will shut a lot of people up."
It is not a reach to say that if Deng can get back to what he was two seasons ago, the Bulls will be very good this year. But it's a big "if," a Shaq-sized "if," and some of the Bulls are tiptoeing around the notion, not wanting to pin their hopes on it.
Others can't help themselves.
"We need him," guard Derrick Rose said.
The term "stress fracture" doesn't sound like much, and that probably added to the perception problem Deng faced last year. "Fractured leg" carries more weight and more sympathy.
"I couldn't play," he said. "I would have been stupid if I had said, 'You know what? I'm just going to lace them up and play.' I probably would have missed this year if I did.
"I was really close to having surgery for a fractured tibia, which in some cases is career-ending. But I didn't want to take the criticism personally. I tried to be smart about it, tried to be true to myself. I know how hard I worked for this game."
When you're wearing street clothes during the first year of a six-year, $71 million contract and when your team goes out and trades for John Salmons to play the same position you do, it doesn't make you Mr. Popular. Deng heard the grumbling among Bulls fans.
It's amazing how quickly public sentiment moves on. When Deng wasn't getting criticized for sitting last season, he was being left for dead. Salmons played well after being acquired from Sacramento, and suddenly Deng looked as necessary as wisdom teeth.
That was a long way from July 2008, when the Bulls gave him the long-term deal.
"Obviously we're incredibly happy to get Luol signed," then-general manager John Paxson said at the time. "It's the type of thing that gives him security and gives us the direction we're going to go here in the future."
But things change, and now Deng feels like he has to show everybody again. It's not a bad thing to have a few more logs thrown on the fire. His teammates see it. They named him one of three captains.
Now he just wants to stay healthy. It's not asking too much, is it?
"I'm a rhythm guy," he said. "I need my rhythm. When I start missing practices, it really affects my rhythm. Some guys are able to sit out practices and show up at game time. I really need to get my practice in."
In 2006-07, he played all 82 games and averaged a career-high 18.8 points and 7.1 rebounds. In the playoffs, his numbers increased to 22.2 and 8.7. He said he didn't miss a practice all season.
The next year, he missed 19 games to injuries. Last season, he missed 33 regular-season games, as well as the thrilling playoff series against the Celtics.
"I can't describe how hard it was to sit out and watch that playoff series," he said. "I don't think I'll ever erase that memory until I play again and enjoy it with the guys."
Deng's game is predicated on movement, which sounds obvious -- in basketball, you move, right? But he needs to be slashing to the basket or moving off a screen to hit jumpers.
The Spurs come to the United Center on Thursday night, and Deng will be there, slashing. And if the critics are slashing too?
"Those people don't know me personally," he said. "I just have to wait for the season. I'm really excited. I'm determined and I'm focused."
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