Bulls' Nikola Vucevic fires back at Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan "Ewing Theory" idea

Led by Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls without Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan looked more like a team against the Bucks than they have in ages.

The Chicago Bulls, after what has been quite a rough stretch for them in the aftermath of the rumors that Zach LaVine is on his way out of the Windy City, looked like they were destined for another defeat on Thursday night, this time at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks especially when both LaVine and DeMar DeRozan were out due to injuries. However, the Bulls, for the first time in what seemed like ages, played cohesively and played together en route to a 120-113 victory over the Bucks in overtime thanks in large part to the heroics of Alex Caruso.

Nikola Vucevic, in particular, looked like he was enjoying himself in a more egalitarian offense; Vucevic dropped a season-high 29 points to go along with 10 rebounds and six assists. The ball was just flowing, with the Bulls assisting on 32 of their 45 made field-goals.

Some would argue that the absences of both Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan were crucial in nudging the Bulls towards the path of playing more unselfishly, and in the process of playing that way, they have become a better team. But Vucevic doesn't agree with that notion, as he admitted that the Bulls will need those two at their best if they were to achieve anything good this season.

“Nah, that has nothing to do with it. That has nothing to do with it. We just came together. We knew we had to show better spirit, we came back home,” Vucevic said, per Cody Westerlund of 670 The Score. “It's one game. Those are our two best players. We need them. If we want to achieve anything big, we need them. So that has nothing to do with it.”

Of course, the Bulls are an objectively better team on paper with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, so it's not like Nikola Vucevic is spewing lies. But the Bulls looked more like a team against the Bucks than they have in ages, with all players working hard to get the best shot available without settling.

But at 6-14, the Bulls are clearly going nowhere fast with this current group, so despite the feel-good vibes of their huge win over the Bucks, a fire sale may still be in order.