At first, the idea made DeMar DeRozan laugh out loud. Then he thought about it for a second, the realization sweeping over him that it could actually be a possibility.
Needing only seven points to reach the 20,000 mark for his career, the Bulls veteran could do it Friday in San Antonio against Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, under whom he played for three seasons and whom he considers the closest thing he has had to an NBA father figure. But what if Pop has other ideas and throws a box-and-one at DeRozan to try to prevent it from happening?
“You know what’s crazy? That’s something he would definitely do,” DeRozan said, laughing. “That’s why if it happens, it’d be special against Pop. Soon as I get seven points, I’m gonna go thank Pop.”
The Spurs and their fans could get some thank-you cards, too.
“That place will always be special for me,” DeRozan said. “Just the community as a whole, I’ll always remember my time there.”
It’s quite a change, considering DeRozan initially didn’t want to be there. Drafted by the Raptors in 2009, he spent his first nine seasons in Toronto and never intended to leave. But the Raptors had different plans, and when the opportunity presented itself to acquire Kawhi Leonard from the Spurs, they jumped — an aggressive move that ended up paying off immediately when they won the NBA title that season.
DeRozan, however, was distraught.
But when he felt like he was drowning, it was Popovich who provided a life preserver and resurrected his career.
“He challenged me beyond my imagination on and off the court to develop, to be a better individual,” DeRozan said.
So it’s only fitting the two likely will share the court when DeRozan hits a scoring total he never dreamed of reaching when he first came to the NBA out of USC.
“I wanted to save [the milestone game] for Pop,” he said, half-joking, “going back to a place that I spent some time, learned so much from, a place that embraced me, wasn’t nothing but love. And it was definitely a learning curve for me in my career at a critical time in my career. . . . Pop really helped me a lot in my career. I think it’ll be cool to be able to do it there.’’
DeRozan will be just the 54th NBA or ABA player to accomplish the feat. Is that a golden ticket to the Hall of Fame? Likely.
“Just knowing the amount of players that played in this game for 75 years, it’s crazy,” he said. “Not too many people get to that point. Some of my favorite players that I watched never even got to that point.
“When I got to the NBA, I wanted to be a guy that lasts and be around for a long time, but to be [at this milestone], it would be something I never would have imagined.”
Only a box-and-one Friday could delay the inevitable.
