Do the Chicago Bulls have a plan?
Maybe not. A matter of weeks ago, the front office spoke about getting younger and building around guys who could act as the carriers of the franchise for years.
Now the team has Rajon Rondo (30) and Dwyane Wade (34).
So much for getting playing time for guys like Jerian Grant, Denzel Valentine and Doug McDermott.
ESPN’s Nick Friedell put it best:
Two weeks ago Gar Forman told media that Bulls needed to get “younger” and more “athletic.” Now they’re about to land Wade+Rondo. Wow.
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) July 7, 2016
What’s the plan?
Wade is still great after averaging 19.0 points per game last season. Heck, Rondo turned his career around with the Sacramento Kings, going for averages of 11.9 points and 11.7 assists. But the two have the whole age problem going for them, not to mention playing on the same team as Jimmy Butler, another guy who needs the ball in his hands to produce.
Maybe Barry Rozner of the Daily Herald is on to something when he suggests this move comes down to putting butts in seats:
Probably. The Bulls saw the beating they were taking after failing to trade Jimmy Butler and the subsequent trade of Rose, and began to worry that no one would be paying for parking or buying hot dogs at Bulls games.
Wade was unexpectedly available and the Bulls signed him with the hopes of being relevant again.
If nothing else, the Bulls will be entertaining and worth watching next season, perhaps for the circus that may unfold.
Chicago doesn’t seem to mind middling around and not improving. Wade and Rondo are good enough in tandem with Butler to make the playoffs, but they aren’t getting past the Cleveland Cavaliers or Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference. Good enough to miss out on a lottery pick? Sure. But if things go south, Rondo’s issues and the trade rumors around Butler will pop up again.
Was trading Derrick Rose and losing Pau Gasol really worth this odd change in approach? Doubtful. Wade in Chicago is fun, but it’s years and years too late. Now the Bulls look stuck in a self-inflicted purgatory with no easy way out.
