Strus, Cavs send wake-up call to Bulls
Max Strus wears jersey No. 1 with the Cleveland Cavaliers and after Saturday's game at the United Center, he confirmed Derrick Rose is the reason.
“Absolutely. He was my favorite player growing up,” said Strus, a Southwest Suburban native and Stagg High School grad. “He's been a good guy that I can talk to. I've gotten to know him pretty well. He actually played in Cleveland for a little bit too and he wore No. 1, so I thought it was special being able to do that.”
The Cavaliers were without their top-four scorers – Donovan Mitchell (illness), Darius Garland (jaw). Evan Mobley (knee) and Caris LeVert (knee) – against the Bulls, but Strus stepped up and scored 26 points, leading Cleveland to a 109-95 upset.
After winning eight of the previous 11 games, the Bulls clearly weren't locked in when this one began. The offense moved in slow motion during the first quarter, while the Bulls gave up too many open 3s and offensive rebounds.
They recovered to take the lead early in the third quarter, then trimmed a 17-point deficit to 5 midway through the fourth.
But Strus knocked down two huge 3-pointers down the stretch. He rose up with confidence after a Patrick Williams 3-pointer brought the Bulls within striking distance, then added another to complete an 8-0 Cavs run that essentially sealed the outcome.
“It's always special, growing up here, coming to games,” Strus said. “I get goosebumps every time the (Bulls') starting lineup thing comes on. Dreaming of moments playing in this building as a kid and it's special every time I come back.”
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 21 points and Nikola Vucevic added 20. But the Bulls didn't shoot well from long range (8 for 35) and were beaten on the offensive glass 15-5.
“I hate to say it, it's just one of those games where it felt like we had the right intent in our minds, but it just wasn't coming out with the output it needed to be,” DeRozan said. “You're not going to play perfect every single game. Learn from it. Now we've got a couple days to decompress.”
Knowing what they do now, the Bulls might have offered Zach LaVine to Miami in a sign-and-trade last summer to bring Strus home. The former DePaul star was a two-way player for the Bulls in the 2019-20 season but tore his ACL playing for the Windy City Bulls. The NBA Bulls changed the basketball operations department, didn't offer another two-way deal, and Strus landed in Miami, where he got to play in the NBA Finals last spring.
It's hard to say if Miami would have been willing to take on LaVine's hefty contract. But the Heat did work with Strus to create a three-team sign-and-trade so he could land a four-year, $62-million deal from Cleveland.
At the time the Bulls didn't expect LaVine's camp to be pushing for a trade a month into the season. Asked if he heard from the Bulls over the summer, Strus said, “Maybe a phone call, but it wasn't much.”
Asked if it means a little more putting up this performance against the Bulls, he said, “For sure.”
The new contract paid dividends as Strus lined up a suite at United Center for friends and family at Saturday's game.
“That was the Christmas present,” he said. “Got a little extra money in my pocket now, so can afford it. Took care of the family and have got a lot of people in town for the holidays, so wanted to make sure they were comfortable and were able to come to the game tonight.”
Strus caught the Bulls defense flat-footed in the third quarter and drove into the lane for a monster dunk over Vucevic, who was shaken up on the play. Referees originally called it an offensive foul but reversed the decision after a replay review. The ordeal appeared to be just bad luck, since Strus didn't really extend his knee or elbow. Vucevic stayed in the game.
“To me, it was not even close,” Strus said. “Luckily, they played it back in our favor. It's fun to play basketball that way, when guys are confident, the ball is moving. That's how you win games.”
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