Bulls guard Zach LaVine wants All-Star selection first, contests second

MILWAUKEE — Bulls guard Zach LaVine is willing to show another card.

But the whole hand?

That’s not happening. At least not yet.

The latest reveal came Monday, when LaVine again was pressed about the upcoming NBA dunk contest during All-Star Weekend in Chicago and his possible participation.

LaVine’s stance continues to be: If he’s voted an Eastern Conference reserve for the All-Star Game, the dunk contest and the three-point contest would be in play.

If he’s not, it could very well be a take-his-ball-and-go-home situation, with the three-point contest still a slight possibility.

“Like I said, I’d rather be in the game than be in the dunk contest,” LaVine said. “I think I’ve shown everything I can dunking. I think I’ve shown I can win that pretty easily, but if I’m in the game, yeah, I’ll think about doing it.

“I’d like to do the three-point contest, but obviously where I’m at now, I think my sights are set on something bigger than just doing contests.

“I want to be in that group where you’re playing in the game, and obviously once you start winning, you can be considered for All-NBA and things like that.”

LaVine is proud of his two dunk titles, but his point is, he doesn’t want to be known solely for his dunking skills.

In his estimation, he won’t need long to prepare for the contest and has admitted on several occasions that he has found time to work on some new material. So it’s still a possibility even if he makes a late entrance.

“Obviously, I know I’ll be in town,” LaVine said, laughing. “I want to be a part of the festivities, especially in Chicago, so we’ll see what happens.”

Ideally, he would like to be picked for the All-Star Game and steal the show for the hometown crowd.

LaVine, however, is also a realist. What he wants and thinks he deserves is different from the reality of the situation. He knows how the game is played, and All-Star reserves are often selected from teams with winning records.

“I understand it,” LaVine said. “It’s been like that for a while. Like I said, I think everything comes with winning. Everybody on the team succeeds with winning, and I think that’s where it’s got to come from first. I’m going out here just trying to do my part.”

‘Death Lineup’ sequel

Coach Jim Boylen went back to his “Death Lineup” late in the first half against the Bucks, putting LaVine, Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen, Tomas Satoransky and Chandler Hutchison on the floor together.

The Bulls were up by one with 5:40 left in the half, and by halftime, they were only down one, so call it a wash.

Boylen used that small lineup in the fourth-quarter comeback against the Cavaliers on Saturday and wants to see it more often.

It gives him a defensive presence with Dunn and Hutchison and also forces Markkanen to play center, which he struggled doing early in the season when given the opportunity.

According to Boylen, they will continue using it but only in certain spots.

“Depending on time, score, situation, that’s a lineup that we’ve talked about,” Boylen said.