By Joseph Phillips
Chicago Crusader
Along with 30 other teams across the National Basketball Association,
the Chicago Bulls celebrated “Media Day” on Monday September 30, at
the Advocate Center to kickoff the 2019-2020 NBA season.
“If you don’t like each other in the locker room, you’re not going to
like each other on the court,” said Bulls newly signed free agent acquisition
Thaddeus Young, on the importance of establishing team chemistry,
leadership and building a winning culture early in the season. “At the
end of the day the coaches can’t go out there and play for us, the
front office can’t go out there and play for us, we have to go out
there and play for ourselves as a team and as a unit. We have to be
unified at all cost.”
Young, who sat alongside newly-acquired free agent acquisition and teammate
Tomas Satoransky during the press conference, told the media that
this year’s Bulls are here to compete and fight for a spot in the 2020
NBA Playoffs.
When asked about the possibility of joining the Team USA roster at the
2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, Young reiterated his team goals, “At the
end of the day that’s not my focus right now,” said Young. “My focus
is going out there with the Chicago Bulls and try and beat down
everybody in the NBA.”
In their biggest move of the off season, the Bulls signed Young to a
three-year, $40.6 million dollar contract over the summer and will
expect him to bring his veteran presence and leadership to a “young”
Bulls locker-room.
Young developed an attitude of winning, after advancing to the 2019 NBA Playoffs
with last year’s NBA overachievers the Indiana Pacers.
In three seasons with the Pacers, Young averaged 11.8 points, 6.2
rebounds and two assists per game. Last season was his most productive
season in Indiana, where he averaged 12.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5
assists per game in spite of seeing his average playing time drop by
almost two minutes.
