There was no pregame sound check for the Chicago Bulls at Friday morning’s shootaround at the Kaseya Center in advance of their winner-take-all NBA play-in game against the Miami Heat.
Diar DeRozan wasn’t even in the same time zone.
In the wake of the shrill screams of the 9-year-old daughter of Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan seemingly taking the Toronto Raptors off their free-throw game in Wednesday night’s elimination game in Toronto, DeMar DeRozan said Friday he followed through on his vow of no more missed school time.
“She has school today,” DeRozan said, as his team concluded preparations Friday morning on the arena’s main court. “I just talked to her this morning on the way to school. She will not be here. She is ruled out.”
Amid the ear-piercing screams when the Raptors went to the foul line Wednesday night, Toronto closed 18 of 36 from the foul line in its season-ending 109-105 loss.
In the wake of network television identifying the chilling shrieks coming from DeRozan’s daughter, the episode went viral.
That had dad stepping in to protect daughter.
“I mean,” the Bulls forward said Friday, “I never would have thought it would have went to that extreme that it did. But, it did. Maybe later down the line, when she gets older, she can look back at it and realize what really happened.”
For now, DeRozan said it again is a family affair.
“For her, I just keep it within her,” he said. “Obviously, she’s only nine. I try to keep [that] she’s still a child. I don’t let her get caught up to the outside effects of it. You know, she just came there for one reason and one reason only and that was support, for her dad. And she had the most fun with it.”
Chicago-based United Airlines volunteered on social media to fly Diar to Miami on Friday free of charge.
DeMar said it simply was time to move on and remain grounded.
“She’s taken it well,” DeMar said. “That’s what it’s all about. As long as we win, that’s all that she cares about.”
As the Raptors cleared out their lockers, they reflected on the moment.
“I saw her before the game,” Raptors center Chris Boucher said, “but I didn’t hear her scream. I was watching the game. I mean, she went viral. So after the game when you watch the clip you’re like, ‘Oh, that was her the whole time.’ "
Waiting game
With players on two-way contracts ineligible for the postseason, Heat forward Jamal Cain instead has found himself going to school on the process.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Cain added vitality to the season.
“Cain has a great spirit about him every single day. He’s a breath of fresh air,” Spoelstra said of the wing who went undrafted last June out of Oakland University “He comes in wanting to work, wanting to get better, puts a smile on everybody’s face. He has a way of competing and working with great intensity.
“But in the moments in between, he’s just a great guy. That’s why he has so many people rooting for him. So much of this league for a young player is the right opportunity, the right timing but also people rooting for you and trying to set you up for success. Jamal has definitely got a lot of people in his corner.”
Cain will be a free agent in the offseason, with the Heat able until late June to issue a qualifying offer, which would give them the right to match outside offers.
Bouyea honored
Guard Jamaree Bouya who thrived both with the Heat during summer league and then with the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, has been named to the G League All-Rookie team and All-G League second team.
Bouyea, who had a 10-day contract with the Heat this season as well as one with the Washington Wizards, becomes the ninth rookie in Skyforce history to be named G League-All Rookie (most recently former Heat camp prospect Micah Potter was so named last year). Bouyea is the first Skyforce player to be named to an All-G League team since Yante Maten in 2019.
Bouyea is a free agent, available to be signed by any NBA team this summer.
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