Coby White said his agents were in talks with the Bulls’ front office since last summer about a contract extension for the free agent- to-be, whom they traded to the Hornets just before the Feb. 5 deadline.
“But you know things change,” White said Tuesday as he made his first return to the United Center.
Oh, things have changed.
The Hornets (28-31) are fighting for a playoff spot as one of the hotter teams in the Eastern Conference, as evidenced by their 131-99 dismantling of the Bulls. Meanwhile, White’s former team (24-35) has lost 10 straight.
“The way the season was going, we really weren’t stacking enough wins consistently, so like I always said from the jump, I support whatever they think is best for the team,” White said of the Bulls’ decision to move him. “This organization believed in me. They gave me a chance and an opportunity to live out my dreams. So I just want to see the organization succeed.”
That might not be for a while.
Playing in his first game since the trade, White was recovered enough from a strained calf to get 16 minutes off the bench, scoring 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting. Not that the Hornets needed much from him. They outscored the Bulls 42-16 in the third quarter, including getting 17 points off 10 Bulls turnovers. They also had 14 fast break points in the quarter and 12 assists to the Bulls’ two.
“The turnovers are a problem — they are a major problem, and we have to continue to get that resolved,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “When there are mistakes that are made and they are constantly compounded, I think it takes away the fuel and the gas from our team, and we’ve got to be tougher than that.
“We’ve also got to be more responsible than that. All of us, coaches and players, have to do a much better job in terms of trying to help one another. I sensed the frustration [in the third quarter] and being deflated.”
If there was one positive, it was a career-high 32 points for forward Matas Buzelis. But that’s where it ended for the Bulls.
As for White, his hope is to stay healthy, get his hometown team to the postseason and worry about his contract and future in July.
“[The Hornets’ front office] did some podcasts saying they want me to be a Hornet for a long time,” he said. “I don’t think they would have said it if they didn’t mean it. Obviously, I want to be a Hornet for a long time.
“Obviously, I’m in a very great situation with a really good team that has talent, really good players, good coaches, and they’re building something special here. Like I always say, I just want to be a small part of it and try and help any way I can.”
Regarding his old team, he doesn’t look back negatively at all.
“The basketball was always basketball,” White said. “That’s what I did, but I think the people here that I met [and] built relationships with was the thing that was the hardest for me [to leave]. You get used to seeing these people every day, but now you don’t.”