Lakers Lit up by Player Who Could’ve Been Theirs: Analyst

DeMar DeRozan Bulls

Getty Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan smiles on the court during a game against the Detroit Pistons.

As a Compton, California native, Bulls star DeMar DeRozan may have grown up a Los Angeles Lakers fan, but he was a bad, bad man toward his hometown team on Monday. Over 35 minutes on the court at Staples Center, DeRozan dropped a season-high 38 points on 15-of-23 shooting.

Thanks in large part to that effort, the Bulls dispatched the Lakers 121-103 to capture their 10th win on the campaign. Los Angeles, meanwhile, lost its second game in three tries and is currently sitting just above the lottery fray in the Western Conference.

DeRozan wasn’t alone in taking it to the home team. Former Lakers Lonzo Ball (27 points) and Alex Caruso (six rebounds, five assists and two steals) had something to say in the win as well.

Nevertheless, DeRozan’s night may have stung the most for Lakers fans. In an alternate universe somewhere, he’s probably scoring those points for the purple and gold. In this one, though, the Lakers opted to deal for Russell Westbrook instead.

And a former player and league analyst apparently wants to make sure everybody knows as much.


Jay Williams: DeRozan Should Be With LAL

For his part, one-time Bull turned ESPN personality Jay Williams couldn’t help but remind Lakers fans about what could have been after DeRozan went off.

“Here’s another chip [on the shoulder] for you from last night for people that didn’t understand how this went down. You see, when DeMar DeRozan had an opportunity to go to another team, you know where he wanted to go? He wanted to be a Los Angeles Laker,” he said on Keyshawn, JWill & Max.

“He idolized Kobe Bryant. He met with LeBron James twice. He was even willing to take a pay cut to be a Laker. The Lakers chose to go with Russell Westbrook which allowed DeMar DeRozan to sign an $85 million contract with the Chicago Bulls.”

After his big night in LA, DeRozan told Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes that, at one point, he thought a move to the Lakers “was a done deal.”

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Big Game James on DeRozan’s Strong Start

In the immediate aftermath of the Lakers’ loss, Hall of Famer James Worthy indicated that this was just business as usual for DeRozan, who made four All-Star teams as a member of the Toronto Raptors.

“Not surprised,” Worthy said of DeRozan’s year to date, via Spectrum SportsNet. “He’s a veteran player that knows his game, can’t be defended, hard to double-team because he has the mid-range game, under control all the time and can put the ball on the floor and finish in traffic with contact.

“He did it everywhere he’s played and, so, I’m not surprised at all that he’s getting the numbers he gets in Chicago.”

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