Devil’s Due Star Zach Gilford Talks Bulls

by Abe Schwadron | @abe_squad

When a guy names his dog “Pippen,” you know he’s a real Bulls fan. Zach Gilford, star of Devil’s Due, a new horror movie that opens today, did just that. Gilford, best known for his role as quarterback Matt Saracen on the critically acclaimed TV show Friday Night Lights, grew up in the Chicago area and is a diehard fan of the city’s teams, including the Bulls. We caught up with him for a lengthy Q+A over at TDdaily.com to talk about his stint as a QB on FNL, which you can read in its entirety here, but couldn’t resist asking him a couple quick NBA questions along the way. He’s such a big fan, he even attended All-Star Weekend last time it was in New Orleans, in 2008. Check it:

SLAM: What was your take on the Luol Deng trade?

Zach Gilford: It was sad to see him go, but I think it was ultimately the best thing for the team. I’d like to think we could have gotten a little more for him, because I’m worried that the Sacramento pick is just going to turn into another second-rounder. And if you look at how many second-rounders have panned out to be good players, it’s not a lot. But maybe they can use that in a package for some other trade down the line. As much as it sucks, I get it. If we’re not going to win a Championship, why pay millions of dollars when we don’t have to. I had this fear when Derrick Rose went down—I was like, I just hope they don’t save the amnesty on Boozer and let him play another year to see if Derrick is what he used to be.

SLAM: Outside of Michael Jordan, who is your favorite Bulls player of all time?

ZG: Scottie Pippen. Or Derrick Rose.

SLAM: Compare your game to an NBA player’s game.

ZG: Someone who comes off the bench and just plays really, really hard defense [laughs]. Maybe like Kirk Hinrich. A real smart player. High basketball IQ.