The Chicago Bulls, to say the least, have underperformed in the first third of the 2022-23 season. After winning 46 games last year, the Bulls were expected to at least compete for a playoff spot in the crowded Eastern Conference. After all, the Bulls still boast the services of three All-Stars, namely DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic. But through 28 games, the Bulls have gone a measly 11-17, 1.5 games back of a play-in spot and 4.5 games off an automatic playoff berth.

And there may not be anyone more disappointed in the Bulls than DeRozan himself.

Speaking with reporters after the game, DeMar DeRozan did not hold back in his assessment of the Bulls' shortcomings, particularly during their second-half collapse in a 114-91 defeat to the New York Knicks.

“We looked like s–t,” DeRozan said, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

The Knicks only led the Bulls by five entering the halftime break. However, the Bulls proceeded to lose ground, going down by double digits in the third. In the fourth quarter, the Bulls stunk it up even worse, dashing any hopes of a potential comeback.

And it appears that may have come as a result of their inability to weather adversity. At least DeMar DeRozan thinks so.

“I think myself along with a few others, we let frustration get to us tonight, whether we felt like calls weren’t going our way. But we just gotta compete. No matter how hard a situation may seem, you can’t ever lose hope. If you lose hope, you lost the whole battle,” DeRozan added.

If the Bulls continue to struggle, major changes may be afoot. Plenty of teams around the league are sniffing around on the availability of DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic. Thus, Chicago needs to turn their fortunes around and fast, lest they become sellers only a year after stepping foot into the postseason.