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Michael Jordan is known for his intense competitiveness and killer mentality that made him one of the greatest basketball players ever. Superstars today need to have a similar mental fortitude in order to be successful in the NBA. That is something Zach LaVine might not possess according to Chicago sports personality David Kaplan.
According to Kaplan (h/t Yardbarker), some people within the Bulls organization are against giving LaVine a $212.3 million max contract. He told the "Kap & J Hood" show on ESPN 1000 that the two-time NBA All-Star does not have a "dogged mentality." He went on to give examples of superstars he believes had that mentality.
Kaplan said:
"Solid player. Good ball handler. Good facilitator. Solid player. Great guy. Is he gonna truly kill you when the game is on the line? Like Michael (Jordan) would kill his family to win. Kobe (Bryant)… same deal. There are some that believe Kevin Durant is a killer. Steph Curry. There are other guys that are really good players. Not the dog mentality."
The revelation by David Kaplan came just a few days after a report by the Chicago Sun-Times that the Bulls are looking to give Zach LaVine a max contract. LaVine is coming off his second All-Star season, averaging 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
However, the Bulls star has played in just 67 games and underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee when the season ended. Signing the 27-year-old to a huge contract appears to be risky for Chicago given that LaVine has already tore his left ACL back in 2017.
The only player that had a better season in Chicago was DeMar DeRozan. He let his inner Michael Jordan take over as he went on to have an MVP-caliber season. DeRozan averaged a career-high 27.9 points per game, while shooting 50.4% from the field and 35.2% from beyond the arc.
How successful are the Chicago Bulls since Michael Jordan left?
Michael Jordan last played for the Chicago Bulls in 1998, before retiring for a second time after winning his sixth NBA championship. Jordan brought all six titles to the Bulls during his career, but how successful have the franchise since the GOAT left 24 years ago?
In the past 24 seasons, the Bulls have not made it back to the NBA Finals. They made the playoffs 12 times, but managed to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals just once in 2015. The Bulls did produce a few really good players like Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah but failed to win a chip.
However, the organization is still waiting to win their seventh NBA championship. They built a really good roster last summer by signing DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. Injuries were a major factor in the Bulls' late-season plunge, but managed to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
During Michael Jordan's tenure in Chicago, the Bulls never missed the playoffs. If the franchise wants to be successful again, they might want to consider their superstars' mentality moving forward.
