Bulls coach Billy Donovan explained to his front office and the league what happened, but also wants to make sure his players and coaching staff understand it can’t happen again.
Rick Bowmer/AP
SAN FRANCISCO – No fines, no suspensions, not even a slap on the wrist.
That doesn’t mean Bulls coach Billy Donovan didn’t want some serious lessons learned by his coaching staff and players on how to control their in-game frustration, especially with what’s on the line for this team down the stretch.
It was in Wednesday’s game in Utah with nine seconds left that the Jazz fouled DeMar DeRozan right next to the Bulls bench. Torrey Craig explained that he thought the foul was “excessive,” and so he claimed all he said to Collin Sexton was “Dang!”
Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t, but the fact that Craig was in street clothes, still nursing a right knee injury, didn’t sit well and both Sexton and John Collins had words back. That’s when the temperature turned up, as assistant coach Chris Fleming reached out to calm things, putting his hands on Collins and it sent things the other way.
Collins grabbed at Fleming, bodies started pushing each other, and technicals were handed out.
That’s where it ended, however, as Donovan said from what he had gathered the league was not taking any further action.
“I spoke to our front office a little bit about it, just in terms of the league,” Donovan said. “I reached out to someone in the league – I don’t want to say who – and had a conversation about it. It was an unfortunate situation, and again I didn’t get all the different camera angles on the situation. Chris was trying to diffuse the situation and it ultimately escalated the situation. That’s the unfortunate part.
“But I think it’s a lesson for us that we just have to worry about controlling our bench and our guys. I think that was a really good learning experience because I don’t think Chris’ intentions were to ever be physical. It was trying to keep everybody separated.”
Craig called the entire episode “nothing serious.”
“I just think (Sexton) fouled DeMar excessively, hit him in the face,” Craig said. “I literally just said, ‘Dang.’ And he just started talking and it escalated, but it was nothing serious.”
The return
Discussing the incident from the night before wasn’t ideal for Craig, especially on the same day that he was finally coming back from a right knee sprain suffered over the all-star break.
The athletic forward made his return against Golden State but was on a strict minutes restriction. It was the second injury for Craig this season, and that’s what seemed to irritate him most.
“I understand that injuries are part of the game, but it just sucks because I pride myself on not missing games, not missing a lot of games, and in some aspect you feel like you’re letting your brothers down, letting your team down by not being available,” Craig said. “But I’ve been working hard to get back and I’m excited I can be out there.”
There was a little mystery on how Craig suffered the injury, but he said he was just doing a normal workout and his leg slipped from underneath him.
“It just happens, it is what it is,” Craig said. “Freak accident, but that’s what happens when you just try and stay in the flow. Unfortunate things happen.”
Back in town
Reserve guard Dalen Terry missed the game against the Jazz for personal reasons, but returned from Arizona in time for the Warriors game. Terry has been used off the bench depending on matchups.