ATLANTA — It was a big lie sold to the NBA community and to Bulls fans.
The narrative was that former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was running his players into the ground by overplaying them. It was dished out by the Bulls’ then-front office, and many believed it — facts be damned.
Yet only once in five seasons under Thibodeau did the Bulls have a player who ranked among the top three in the NBA in minutes played. That was when Luol Deng finished the 2010-11 season behind Monta Ellis and LaMarcus Aldridge with 3,207.9 minutes.
Fast-forward to Sunday and the Bulls under Billy Donovan. Guard Coby White leads the league in minutes played with 1,924, followed by forward DeMar DeRozan with 1,917. But there hasn’t been a peep.
That’s because this Bulls front office isn’t trying to undercut its coach and because Donovan understands that players play. Donovan is good at sitting his heavy-minute guys between games by giving them some practices off, but he also understands the importance of winning games and of making sure the best players are on the court for as long as possible.
His players feel the same way. That’s why when DeRozan was asked after the Bulls’ loss Saturday to the Magic about the idea of leading the league in minutes played at his age (34), he didn’t hesitate to answer.
‘‘I just always love hoopin’; I play all summer for free,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘When you’re playing for an organization and something is on the line, I want to play every single second, minute, opportunity I can. That’s why I pride myself on not missing games.’’
That’s also what DeRozan prepares for during the offseason. He has one of the more rigorous training programs an NBA player can go through.
And for a Bulls team that sits ninth in the Eastern Conference and is trying to find a foothold to give itself better playoff positioning, time on the bench for DeRozan and White is time lost.
‘‘I’m pretty sure everybody is tired,’’ DeRozan said. ‘‘It’s that time of the season where everybody is just waiting for the [All-Star] break.
‘‘But we’ve gotta lay it all out on the line every game. Every game is important, whether we’ve got a full team or limited guys. I don’t want to leave one minute untouched if it was up to me, just so we can win a game.’’
White is cut from the same cloth.
‘‘It is what it is,’’ White said. ‘‘We’ve got two more games until the break, so we have to finish off strong.’’
Then the hope is that help will be on the way. The Bulls are in the buyout market and were sniffing around guard Kyle Lowry before he opted to go to the 76ers. That doesn’t mean they still won’t go shopping, though.
‘‘If there’s someone who has an interest or [the front office feels] like it would be a good fit, they’ll bring me in and we’d probably get on the phone with the player,’’ Donovan said of the process the Bulls take. ‘‘But as of right now, nothing has moved forward in terms of any plans.
‘‘They’re not opposed to bringing somebody in, but I think they’re certainly going to talk to representation and see where things are at with certain players. There are a lot of variables that go into the buyout market and what guys are looking for.’’
