Someone Wake up the Chicago Bulls
If anyone has the phone number of Gar Forman, the Chicago Bulls GM, can you please give him a call? He’s either on vacation in Venice, or has passed away and is currently receiving the Weekend at Bernie’s treatment. I really hope he’s enjoying a nice glass of pinot noir in Venice right now and not actually running the Chicago Bulls. For everyone associated with that team and for the sake of the amazing fans of the Bulls, please Gar, slow down.
Dumping Derrick Rose was a bright, promising start to their summer. Trading Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday, and a 2017 second-round pick for Robin Lopez, Jose Calderon, and Jerian Grant wasn’t a bad move. It would get rid of Derrick Rose, and get back a cheaper center than Joakim Noah was going to cost. Perfect! Now rebuild around Jimmy Butler, make cheap moves, and call it a summer.
They didn’t.
The Bulls decided it would be a great idea to get rid of their ball dominant, lackluster shooting point guard, smart. They then made the decision to replace Derrick Rose’s career 31% three-point shooting percentage with Rajon Rondo’s 29% career percentage.
Man. What a great call. Now you could argue that a contract for two years and $28 million isn’t all that high in today’s climate. I would tend to agree with that sentiment. It just doesn’t make sense in accordance with keeping Jimmy Butler. If you really are playing to be competitive in the playoffs, I don’t get how Rondo gets you there. Jimmy Butler is a playmaker, which means he needs the ball. Guess what, Rondo does as well since he can’t make a shot outside of the paint. Don’t believe me?
FG% by DistanceSeasonTmGFG%2P0–33–1010–1616 ❤3PCareer645.468.488.614.346.383.394.289
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/9/2016.
Maybe they’ll turn it around though. Perhaps they’ll sign a great player who can make the Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo combination work. What is I told you that player was 34 years old, you could pay him $47.5 million over two years, he needed the ball in his hands to be successful, AND he was a career 29% three-point shooter. Are you sold yet?
Well our old pal Gar Forman was sold on bringing D-Wade home. All of a sudden the team we thought was a mess with a D-Rose/Jimmy Butler core makes so much more sense with Rajon Rondo, D-Wade, and Butler. Do you sense the sarcasm yet? I don’t get this at all from a basketball standpoint.
Rondo and Wade are both smart players. They will be able to do enough off the ball to make the offense prettier at certain points in the game. The problem is that once teams figure out whatever scheme they’ve put together, the Bulls will be left alternating to Jimmy Butler playing isolation ball. Of course Jimmy Butler is really good. So if he can get off a good shot, great. If he drives to the rim successfully, even better. However, when teams start realizing he’s the only consistent offensive threat, Butler will be kicking it out to Rajon Rondo and Dwayne Wade for wide-open three’s that they haven’t hit their entire careers.
None of this sounds like a recipe for success. I’m sure there is a way you could spin all this to make it seem viable financially, maybe. But in terms of the basketball being played on the court, I don’t see it working. If their goal is to become a low seed, win a game or two in the first round, and go home for the next two years; then bravo. At the very least Wade, Butler, and Rondo provide name recognition for Gar. So maybe he’ll sell a few more jerseys.
