Even before tip-off, Chicago Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. already had a bad feeling in their match against the Cleveland Cavaliers at United Center on Wednesday.
His anxiety turned out to be justified, as the Bulls played flat all night long and succumbed to a 103-94 defeat to the slumping Cavaliers. After the game, the outspoken Carter did not hide his frustration with his teammates' approach and body language heading into the game.
For the 21-year-old Duke product, the Bulls thought they would have an easy time against the Wine and Gold and were not as focused as they should have been once the game started ( via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago).
“From the get-go as a team we underestimated them. We just thought we could show up and play just because of their record. That’s kind of the vibe I was getting. Even in the warmups, I’m like, ‘Man, c’mon. We’re not one of the best teams in the league either.'”
Entering the contest, the Cavaliers were losers of three of their last five games and were 12th in the Eastern Conference. Although Carter and the Bulls are not that far ahead at 10th place, they have played much better as of late and looked like the better team out of the two.
But that certainly was not the case on Wednesday. Darius Garland and Jarett Allen ran circles on the Bulls' D, combining for 41 points, while Larry Nance added 14 markers.
While Carter was right in pointing out the Bulls' complacency, his rather lackluster performance did not help the team's chances as well. He only finished with seven points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes.
Wendell Carter Jr. is among several Bulls reportedly on the trade block before Thursday's deadline. His latest comments will probably not sit well with the team brass and he might actually be on the move real soon.
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