Tristan Thompson: DeMar DeRozan is the league MVP

Julia Poe: Tristan Thompson wastes no time joining the DeMar DeRozan MVP campaign: “He’s the league MVP in my eyes. Flat out. What he’s able to be doing with Zach out and with Zo and AC out … for him to be able to just hold the fort down and keep that ship right, that’s what an MVP does.”
Source: Twitter @byjuliapoe

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
Tristan Thompson is ready to do ‘whatever it takes to win’ for the Bulls — and both he and Billy Donovan see a litany of ways for him do just that
nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/… – 10:25 PM Darnell Mayberry @DarnellMayberry
Tristan Thompson joins Bulls with singular focus: ‘Whatever my team needs to win’
via @TheAthletic theathletic.com/3147020/2022/0… – 8:49 PM Mike McGraw @McGrawDHSports
Fun fact: Vucevic and Tristan Thompson are the first- and third-leading rebounders from the 2011 draft class. Valanciunas is No. 2. #Bulls – 8:38 PM Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
The prized fish that got away was finally landed by Billy Donovan … more than 13 years later. Tristan Thompson is here.
Read it:
chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2022/2/2… – 8:10 PM Julia Poe @byjuliapoe
Tristan Thompson wastes no time joining the DeMar DeRozan MVP campaign: “He’s the league MVP in my eyes. Flat out. What he’s able to be doing with Zach out and with Zo and AC out … for him to be able to just hold the fort down and keep that ship right, that’s what an MVP does.” – 7:19 PM Julia Poe @byjuliapoe
Day 1 for Chicago media with Tristan Thompson.
He starts things out upbeat by teasing Billy Donovan for the fact he didn’t pick Florida despite the coach coming out to his middle school games. pic.twitter.com/BdJIKdUhr2 – 6:55 PM Mike McGraw @McGrawDHSports
Tristan Thompson begins his first #Bulls interview joking with Donovan about being recruited to Florida. pic.twitter.com/iP77uQqTyt – 6:44 PM Mike Vorkunov @MikeVorkunov
All-Star break check-in on the top players by various metrics:
EPM: Nikola Jokic
BPM: Nikola Jokic
PER: Nikola Jokic
Win Shares: Nikola Jokic
WPA: DeMar DeRozan
VORP: Nikola Jokic
RAPM: Rudy Gobert
DPM: Giannis Antetokounmpo – 9:41 AM Andrew Bogut @RogueBoguesPod
Basketball Pod Episode 54 – @andrewbogut and @HoopConsultants discuss rumours Tristan Thompson could be headed to the Lakers.
Listen to it here 👇
https://t.co/u0OwdyWBh0
#LetsGetRogue #RogueBogues #NBA #Basketball #Lakers pic.twitter.com/GOsx7poYCq – 5:11 PM Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Confirming @Eric Pincus (not that he needs it confirmed!) report that Tristan Thompson got $1M of the remaining Bi-Annual Exception from Chicago.
CHI won’t have the Bi-Annual Exception available next season now. Could be a sign CHI knows they’ll be over the tax apron next season. – 1:00 PM Sam Vecenie @Sam_Vecenie
One of the things I feel most strongly about is DeMar DeRozan will/should be a Hall of Famer.
One of the bold predictions I gave on the podcast today with @DaveDuFourNBA is that this is the season that will push it over the top for voters
FULL EP: https://t.co/Gi4k9AtvVP pic.twitter.com/zqfxfBoafm – 11:26 PM Eric Pincus @EricPincus
The Chicago Bulls used thier bi-annual exception to sign Tristan Thompson – which means Chicago won’t have thier BAE this summer – 5:26 PM Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
The story of DeMar DeRozan and his #NBAAllStar little brothers. “When I lost my sister this past summer, I cried on the phone to DeMar. A lot of people don’t know that. That speaks to our relationship right there,” Dejounte Murray said. bit.ly/3HaXcIS @TheUndefeated #nba – 2:48 PM Joe Cowley @JCowleyHoops
The Bulls’ Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan know playtime is over. Now things are about to get serious …
Read it:
chicago.suntimes.com/bulls/2022/2/2… – 1:36 PM Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
From ‘Big Dog’ to Dejounte, DeMar DeRozan takes care of his family. The five-time #NBAAllStar has passed his late father Frank DeRozan’s value of family and friends to his NBA brothers bit.ly/3HaXcIS #nba #bulls – 12:51 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
As promised, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine had their 1-on-1 showdown. Round 1 to LaVine
But, with each Bulls star on the floor down the stretch, DeRozan’s side found the ultimate edge
Here’s what each had to say after another competitive All-Star game
nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/… – 12:25 AM Julia Poe @byjuliapoe
DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine both heated up as the game got interesting in the final plays of the fourth.
LaVine hit back-to-back shots to pull his team within a point, but LeBron James scores the game-winner. – 10:53 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: DeMar DeRozan just drew a foul on a midrange jumper down the stretch – 10:49 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
Dejounte Murray just broke down ex-Spurs teammate DeMar DeRozan off the dribble and slashed in for a layup. Had some friendly banter for DeRozan during ensuing inbound – 9:11 PM Paul Garcia @PaulGarciaNBA
Last season Dejounte Murray and DeMar DeRozan weren’t in the All-Star game.
Fast forward a year later and they’re now both guarding each in the game. – 9:10 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
Zach LaVine just hit a stepback 3 over DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan answered by rimming out a sidestep middy over LaVine at the other end
Smiles all around – 8:42 PM Rob Schaefer @rob_schaef
Four quick points out of the gate for DeMar DeRozan. Sidestep 19-footer and a layup – 8:36 PM

More on this storyline

Brad Townsend: A little campaigning on going on? Kidd on Doncic: “He’s playing at an All-Star, well, not just an Al-Star, but an MVP level right now.” -via Twitter @townbrad / February 23, 2022 Malika Andrews: “I did a lot of chasing around trying to get him back and try to make him feel comfortable again. It was tough. I didn’t care anymore.” Joel Embiid on Ben Simmons, James Harden, and the MVP race. Catch our convo on NBA Today: -via Twitter @malika_andrews / February 22, 2022 After Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid battled for the right to be named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player all last season, it appears this year’s chase for the award could once again come down to the two All-Star big men. Embiid, after coming in second to Jokic in last year’s voting, holds a 35-point lead over the Denver Nuggets’ reigning MVP in the second edition of ESPN’s NBA MVP Straw Poll for the 2021-22 season. Embiid’s razor-thin edge is the closest the top two spots have been over the nine iterations of this poll over the past six seasons. -via ESPN.com / February 17, 2022