Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler tried to clear the air at Bulls practice
Despite the recent drama created by Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo and (to a much lesser extent) Jimmy Butler, the Chicago Bulls did a fine job of walking back their comments during Friday's practice.
Days after Wade and Butler called out their young teammates for not caring enough about losses, and less than 24 hours after Rondo criticized the two vets for their reaction, all three players spoke to the media.
Rondo told reporters he genuinely believes the brouhaha will make the Bulls better, since sometimes teams need to get things out in the open to move forward:
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Rondo also said he reached out to Kevin Garnett for advice on how to be a better leader:
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Yet above all else, the former NBA champion stuck up for the young guys in the Bulls locker room.
https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/status/825043687856099328
Wade, meanwhile, made it clear he's not looking to leave the Bulls, despite rumors to the contrary:
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And Butler seemed to be in the most jovial mood of Chicago's "three alphas," as he told reporters he believes the team will be just fine — while also acknowledging Rondo might have been onto something when he claimed Butler and Wade have influence on the coaching staff.
https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/825037264141086721
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Coach Fred Hoiberg disagreed with Butler's assessment, however, while stating all three players were fined for their comments:
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In the end, Wade put a nice bow on everything with his perspective (via Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson):
"I could take [Rondo's Instagram post] as a personal attack. But what's that going to do for me? Come in and fight Rajon because he said his vets [in Boston] practiced every day? I'm 35. I'm not practicing every day. That's very clear.
"Everyone has their own things. My vets did different things, too. They were very successful with what they did in Boston. I took it as a human being expressing himself and feeling he wanted to say something regarding the young guys on the team and he felt it was portrayed different. And that's his leadership. That's his way of leading.
"Just like my way of leading is my way of leading, when I come out here and I smile and say all these positive things. And when I come in and say I'm pissed off, that's my way of leading at that time. It's not always what people want to hear or a popular thing. I told Gar and Paxson that I respect their decision to do the things they did because it's their organization."
The question, then, is where the Bulls go from here. I still believe they need to part ways with Rondo. While the major parties might say this is all water under the bridge now, Rondo is going to speak up again before the season is over. That's just who he is.
And while he might be right, the fact of the matter is the Bulls belong to Jimmy Butler first, Fred Hoiberg second, Dwyane Wade third, and Rajon Rondo ... I don't know, eighth? Ninth? He's an accomplished NBA veteran with a wealth of knowledge to share. If he can't do so through the proper channels, though, why keep a player who does nothing on the court to help you win games?
The more realistic scenario, however, sees the Bulls gritting their teeth to try to make it through this season before waving goodbye to Rondo this summer.
But hey, at least Chicago would make the playoffs if the postseason started today ... only to meet LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.