Chicago Bulls’ Interest In Dwyane Wade And Rajon Rondo A Subtle Shift In Strategy
What are the Chicago Bulls trying to be?
Are the Bulls looking to retool or rebuild? Certain NBA rumors and facts offer conflicting information. It looks like the Chicago Bulls are closing in on a current and a former all-star guard.
First, according to ESPN and several reports, the Bulls had met with guard Rajon Rondo in Chicago to discuss the parameters of a deal. It was then acknowledged by CSN Chicago that the Bulls were also one of four teams in touch with Miami Heat free agent Dwyane Wade.
Just when it seems as if the Bulls were going to sit back and let NBA free agency play itself out, business picked up in a hurry. But is it the wrong type of business for the Bulls to admit to wanting to get younger and more athletic?
That question is on the minds of Bulls’ fans everywhere. It is becoming increasingly difficult to determine the direction of the franchise. The Bulls cannot get younger by acquiring both Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade. Perhaps getting slightly better is on their minds. Maybe, it is all a plot to keep butts in seats at the United Center, where the Bulls play all of their home games.
Report: #Bulls one of four teams pursuing Dwyane Wadehttps://t.co/0P73OuKahd #BullsTalk pic.twitter.com/kQFo37nnZi
— NBC Sports Chicago (@NBCSChicago) July 2, 2016
Rajon Rondo is the first player confirmed to have met with the Bulls’ front office of Gar Forman and John Paxson. Rondo will not be the last free agent to visit with the Bulls, but the fact that he came to meet with members of the team is significant.
The same can be said about Dwyane Wade if he does indeed meet with the team.
It was not known that the Bulls would go after high-profile NBA free agents. At least not someone of Rondo’s and Wade’s status. This is not the retooling everyone thought the Bulls would do. Any prospects of Rondo and Wade joining the is more of a temporary rebrand. Both of them can still play at a high level, but for how long?
Say what you will about Rajon Rondo, but there is a lot of basketball left in the 30-year-old point guard.
This past season, fans saw Rajon Rondo find his way back to NBA relevance. He will not get much better as a player and that is fine. What Rondo does is make his teammates better by getting the basketball to them in spots where they can make shots.
Bulls meet with Rajon Rondo; conflicting reports on Pelicans’ interest. Story: https://t.co/LN6WFhB28J pic.twitter.com/s1HISk8jtu
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) July 2, 2016
Last season, the Chicago Bulls were tied for 11th in assists with an average of 22.8 per game. That is a disappointment when considering the reason why the hiring of head coach Fred Hoiberg took place was because he has a free-flowing offense. The basketball is supposed to move from player to player, in search of the best shot. Just by increasing the assists to 25 per game range would have increased the Bulls’ win totals from anywhere between five and eight victories.
Some will say if the Bulls are interested in getting the offense, they will want to stay away from Rajon Rondo. He can be a ball-stopper at times, but he has a championship pedigree and that cannot be overlooked.
As for Dwyane Wade, he had a turn back the clock year. No one will doubt his ability. At the tender age of 34, it is the risk of injury that hovers over the Bulls like a black cloud in the sky. Some see Wade’s free agency carousel as just a way to drive up the price for the Heat, that he is only using teams for leverage.
With Regards to Dwyane Wade, I hear #Bulls would like to meet with him in the next few days. D-Wade COULD still be USING teams 4 $ Leverage
— Carlos Douglas Jr. (@TheRealC_Los) July 2, 2016
If that is the case, then so be it. It should not hurt for the Bulls to be interested in bringing Dwyane Wade in for a sales pitch. It helps that he is from Oak Lawn, which is a Chicago suburb. Anything can happen with this.
Chances are likely that he will remain with the Heat. That should not tick-off Bulls’ fans one bit. Just a few weeks ago, no one saw the Bulls, or any team for that matter, being in a position to speak to Wade about the possibility of him joining the team. And if he does leave Miami, fans would be infuriated if the Bulls did not reach out to him.
Adding Dwyane Wade is perhaps the biggest paradox for the Chicago Bulls. There is truth to the idea that they want to get younger and signing Wade goes against that message. In the NBA, as well as other sports it is always helpful to have a sage veteran or two on hand to teach the young players how to be professionals.
Is there a harm to have a 34-year-old veteran, who is still capable of averaging 20 points a night? Not at all, especially if he can show a particular young star [Jimmy Butler] how to become a better player. In fact, adding a player of Dwyane Wade’s ilk gives Jimmy Butler a masterclass on how to become elite. That would be worth the sacrifice two or three years down the line.
The Chicago Bulls were quiet in NBA free agency until Friday evening. Their interest in guards Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade are a subtle shift in their philosophy of retooling, But then again the definition of a retool is to take out parts and replace with different ones. Talking with Rondo and Wade suggest that the Bulls are trying to do just that.
[Photo by Lynne Sladky/AP Images]
