The frustration appears to be mounting for the Chicago Bulls at this point during what has been a very disappointing season for the squad.
On Saturday, the Bulls faced off against the Phoenix Suns, and at one juncture late in the game — a point in which the game was already decided — Chicago head coach Jim Boylen called a timeout. Moments later, Bulls star Zach LaVine was caught on camera uttering what appeared like some words of disagreement with his coach's decision:
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You don't need to be a lip reader to see what LaVine said there, and the expression on his face makes it even more believable. The Suns had obviously secured the victory at that point, and perhaps the 6-foot-6 Bulls shooting guard just though that it was a complete waste of time.
Boylen has made a habit of calling these timeouts late in losses that have already been decided, and this isn't the first time LaVine has been caught expressing his frustration at them. The Athletic's Darnell Mayberry passed along what the guard said about the timeout after this latest Bulls defeat:
“That’s what he do, man. That’s what he do,” he said. “I don’t know what to tell you. I’m not the coach. He’s told me he likes working on things that we do in practice and things like that. He’s the head coach. He can call timeout if he wants to.”
Boylen claims LaVine hasn't mentioned anything to him about the timeouts, and the two even had a brief meeting in the locker room after the game to hash some things out. Still, it's obvious the 24-year-old is frustrated.
LaVine had a so-so game himself against the Suns, and while he scored 20 points, he did go 8-of-20 shooting overall and 2-of-8 from distance, so it was far from an efficient evening for him. Moreover, the Bulls guard also turned the ball over seven times, so his poor play certainly had a lot to do with exasperation late in the game.
We cannot, however, overlook the tremendous performance of Bulls rookie Coby White, who dropped a career-high 33 points and seven triples in 34 minutes off the bench. It's a shame that the youngster's memorable outing came in another disappointing loss.
That's now eight straight defeats for the Bulls, extending all the way back to late January. It has been an ugly campaign for Chicago thus far, and there are no signs of things getting better anytime soon.
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