MIAMI – Nikola Vucevic is usually Switzerland.
A crafty veteran who knows how to stay neutral when it comes to off-the-court media questions about his future or the Bulls organization in general.
Being on the bad end of a beatdown that reached the 50-point range for a while like it did Sunday in Miami, however, maybe that can change a man.
At least for a few minutes in the postgame locker room, it did.
Vucevic was asked about the current state of the Bulls roster heading into the Feb. 5 trade deadline and what the rest of the season would look like if the front office did or didn’t make a move. The idea of again sitting in middle ground and a trip to the play-in game for a fourth straight season obviously doesn’t sit well with this group and it shouldn’t.
“I think that there are certain things that this team needs to take the next step, but we’ll see what happens,” Vucevic said. “If nothing happens then it’s on us to try and figure it out and get there. You know it’s not fun when you’re in the same position year after year, and especially when you can’t get out of that play-in, you get stuck behind Miami every time, so we’ll see how it goes.
“But yeah, I think this team does need some things that can definitely help us to go forward, take that next step, and we’ll see what happens.”
Asked if he wanted to get into specifics of what that help might be, he didn’t shy away.
“Mainly we need some size and athleticism,” Vucevic responded. “We’re pretty undersized at most positions. I think that’s it, that would be the main thing. Because the way the league is right now and a lot of teams have these big wings, I think that’s something that can definitely help us if we add some of that. Just the way the game has changed, the way the game has evolved, most teams their two, three and four are 6-8, 6-9, and we don’t really have that.”
A philosophy not being lost on executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, especially because the Sun-Times has reported that he’s inquired about the likes of Tari Eason, Yves Missi, and Zion Williamson since early December.
For now, however, the hope is newly-acquired Dario Saric can bring something to the mix while the trade frenzy picks up around the league.
“I know him pretty well,” Vucevic said of Saric. “He’s from the same region. I met him when he came to the NBA, but I watched him when he was younger too, so I know him pretty well. He’s a very good guy, knows how to play. He’s a high-IQ player, experienced, been around the playoffs, been around winning teams, so from that standpoint it will help us a lot and gives us even more size. The injuries have hit the center position so he can help.”
Zach Collins has been dealing with a toe issue and there’s no timetable for his return, while Jalen Smith has been productive, but has also missed some games.
The Bulls have embraced the two-big lineup, but lately it’s looked like a 1 ½-big lineup.
“We’ve shown throughout the year that when we’ve played big it’s been pretty good for us,” Vucevic said. “It’s unfortunate that Zach got hurt because I felt like we had a really good thing going, but hopefully with Dario we can get him in, try and use some of that big lineup and see where that goes. I think he can fit in really well with the way we want to play.”