The Bulls are in the midst of fighting for the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference. Every game is crucial for them at this point. While it’s only a play-in game for the playoffs it is still important for the Bulls to make that game for the team’s future. Well, the Bulls had a chance to get a much-needed win on the road against Miami. The Bulls were down five with under a minute to go and the ball. Bulls guard Denzel Valentine brought the ball up the court and the rest was history.
No no no no no no no no no no no no Denzel Valentine!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/l8yp4mroI9
— Gustavo (@iamvega1982) April 25, 2021
Yup, he chucked up an airball from three and gave the ball right back to the Heat. You can hear the pain in the commentator’s voices after that shot went up. The Bulls fell 106-101. While there were other points in the game where the Bulls could have gotten back into it this was huge. The Bulls had clawed their way back into this game after being down 17 going into the fourth quarter. They had some momentum after that missed shot and Valentine races up the court and shoots 5 seconds into the shot clock. This is not the only time Bulls fans have been upset with Valentine’s play. However, this certainly could be the nail in the coffin for many Bulls fans when it comes to Valentine.
Worst player in NBA history?
Things got so heated on Twitter that one person was bold enough to say that Denzel Valentine is the worst player in NBA history. While that seems to be quite the stretch he did provide a slew of examples where Valentine has messed up. Feel free to take a look through this thread and decide for yourself. He has made quite a few boneheaded mistakes in his time with the Bulls.
Denzel Valentine is the worst player in NBA history. A thread: pic.twitter.com/OZDc9rWvc5
— dustin. (@DMFrank_) April 25, 2021
I don’t think labeling him as the worst player in NBA history is fair. However, I do think he makes a lot of dumb mistakes on the court. This mistake has been amplified across social media with videos of the shot getting over a million views. Valentine was asked about the shot after the game and his answer certainly didn’t make Bulls fans feel better.
Denzel Valentine on 30-footer: "I had made 3 in a row before that. It was a bad shot. I just kind of got lost in the game."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 25, 2021
Sure he hit three in a row prior to that shot but he’s not an All-Star guard. He’s a bench guard who a lot of people are surprised gets as many minutes as he does. That’s a shot we would be fine with guard Zach LaVine taking even if he misses. But Valentine taking that is inexcusable. Despite his mistakes head coach Billy Donovan appears to still believe in Valentine.
Billy Donovan likes Valentine
You can’t really argue that Donovan likes Valentine’s play. If he didn’t then we wouldn’t see Valentine in games as much as we do and on the court towards the end of games. Obviously with LaVine out the Bulls needed additional guard play but even before that Valentine played in 55 of 60 games. Donovan was asked about Valentine’s ill-advised shot and he avoided the subject.
Billy Donovan on Denzel Valentine's bad, wayward 3-point shot early in shot clock with 51 seconds left: "I was upset because I called timeout before the shot ever went up and I wasn't granted timeout."
Officials told Donovan it wasn't granted b/c Valentine was in act of shooting
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) April 25, 2021
Donovan claims he tried calling a timeout but with just 5 seconds to get that timeout call in it apparently didn’t work out. Bulls fans would have loved to see that timeout called but here we are. I wouldn’t expect to see a change in Valentine’s minutes after this. He’s averaged 17.6 minutes per game in 55 games. Clearly, in this game, he was trying to be the hero and it backfired. It backfired just like his rap career did and you can believe Bulls fans all over are bringing that up.
Denzel Valentine – the rapper
Valentine’s on the court play has made Bulls fans frustrated and upset. So why not talk about stuff off the court that will also anger Bulls fans. Valentine just released a new EP on Valentine’s day this year and in case you haven’t heard his rap have a listen.
Denzel Valentine makes his rap debut….
🔥or 💩??pic.twitter.com/Nr8AKmaEU2
— Sports Analytics 24/7 (@SA247LLC) January 31, 2020
Feel free to make your own judgment here. Valentine needs to put himself back into his normal role as a bench guard and not the team’s savior. The Bulls are pushing for the 10th seed and have a tough schedule ahead. We can’t have any more boneheaded plays to close games if we want to be in a play-in game.
