Chicago Bulls Offseason Report: Bullcrap

John Askins
Staff Writer

While it was difficult to find one word to describe last year’s season for the Chicago Bulls, I think a fitting one is disappointing.  From injuries to busts, not much went right for a team that had been a fixture in the Eastern Conference Playoffs for the better part of the past decade.  Whether it be the underwhelming return of Derrick Rose, injuries to Joakim Noah, or Bobby Portis not being freed; a lot of things went poorly.  This all resulted in the Bulls being left on the outside of the playoffs looking in for the first time in 7 years.

The question many are asking after glancing at the Chicago Bulls offseason is: “What were they thinking?” and don’t worry, I was on the same boat.  Stack that on top of losing the heart and soul in Joakim Noah, Chicago’s beacon of hope in Derrick Rose, super-skilled big man Pau Gasol, and just like that!  You’ve got yourself a bad offseason.  But, hold your horses for a second.  Chicago couldn’t just pile up their draft picks and construct a rebuild -- no, that’s not the spirit!  Why not throw some cash at a few top of the market players, glue them in the starting lineup, and see what happens?

That’s exactly what Chicago was thinking when they signed 30 year old point guard Rajon Rondo and 34 year old shooting guard Dwyane Wade to 2yr/$28m and 2yr/$47m contracts, respectively, this offseason.  In their defense, franchise guard-forward Jimmy Butler is considerably older than other players with his experience are, and it would be a shame to waste away his prime risking a full rebuild that may not even be successful.  So for the sake of Butler, the Bulls are in win now mode.  The front office could’ve done worse throwing together a team, but it’s no exaggeration to say that they are far from being championship caliber.  

However, this isn’t going to be a group of scrubs.  While Rondo’s best days are likely behind him, he’s shown that there is plenty of talent left in that incredibly proportioned body.  Rondo led the league last year averaging a ridiculous 11.7 assists per game, to go along with 11.9 points and 6.0 rebounds.  There is no doubt that he can still run an offense, but the biggest question will be his attitude.  Remember the end of the 2015 season where he essentially refused to play for the Mavs?  It was like a pickup game where he didn’t like his teammates and decided to stomp around the court playing at 25% capacity.  But if he’s in the right mindset, he could make a case for being the best pure point guard in the league.  Go and search one of his mixes on YouTube, the guy seems to have eyes on all sides of his head.  He knows where his teammates are and are going to be, and can hit them with a bullet pass that puts them in the best position to make a shot.  Not to mention, he’s also a great finisher around the rim.  He possesses a ton of strength, allowing him to drive hard into the paint with ease, and usually finish with a crafty floater or hook.  Throw in being a great perimeter defender (when he puts in effort) and this guy can do it all -- except shoot.  (Reoccurring theme..)

At the other end of the backcourt, we have.. Dwyane Wade?  Wait he’s not on the Heat?!

You heard it right, folks.  Dwyane Wade is a Chicago Bull.  After Miami offered him a couple nickels (again) in exchange for being able to chase after some free agents (again), he decided to go back home to the Windy City, to show fans that this team’s 3-point shooting could get worse.  All jokes aside, this is a shocking decision.  Wade embodied the Miami Heat organization, playing 12 years on the team.  In that time he won 3 championships, led the team in scoring 7 times, led the league in scoring once, and set the record for most blocks by a guard.  Pretty fantastic.  He’s still going to be donning the white and red, but this time with a different allegiance.  Wade showed he too has plenty of gas in the tank, posting a 19p/4r/4.5a line last year, and shouldered the load while the Heat made the playoffs as the 3rd seed.  He can finish around the rim like nobody’s business, and his shot is great, just inside the dreaded 3-point line.  It’s definitely going to clog things up even more, but again c’mon, it’s Dwyane Wade!

The last wing is the Bulls’ pride and joy, Jimmy Butler.  Butler is the reason why the front office is going to such great lengths to stay in contention, as he is just about to turn 27 and only entering his 5th year in the league.  Butler is really a talent that cannot be wasted, and Chicago holds him so dearly that they refuse to ship him off to a budding team like the Minnesota Timberwolves, and instead chuck some money at aging stars to give him a chance a chip in Chicago.  He is one of the NBA’s premier “do-it-all” guys; driving, dishing, and spotting up.  Who knows, maybe a seasoned Butler with the veteran, championship-winning experience of Rondo and Wade will allow the Bulls to make a run at the Cavs, and possibly the Golden State Warriors?

But enough harping on the 3-pointers, let’s cover something they’re going to be fantastic at: defense.  Their starting five consists of 5 extremely solid defenders. Butler has proven capable of locking down the league’s best, Rondo has the quickness and IQ to keep with any point guard in the league, and Wade has been one of the premier defending shooting guards in the league for the past 12 years.  Oh and he’s the all-time leader in blocks by a guard.  Not too shabby.  Then there’s Ro-Lo in the middle, who has been excellent at clogging up the lane his whole career, and that shouldn’t change with the Bulls.  No matter what they do on offense, the defense of this team is going to be incredible.  While defense by itself cannot win championships, it can sure as hell keep a team competitive in this league.

Long story short, the Bulls are most definitely poised for a playoff berth, but it just doesn’t seem like the moves made this offseason are going to be effective in the future.  They will return to the playoffs for the next 2 years almost assuredly, but what looms after that is unsure.  Be sure to tune in to see how the most perplexing team in the NBA fares this coming season, it’s going to be entertaining, no matter what happens.