Dwyane Wade signals Bulls' new path — the dollar-store superteam
If nothing else, Dwyane Wade’s move from the Miami Heat to the Chicago Bulls proves that a shocking free-agent decision doesn’t necessarily upend the state of the NBA. The 34-year-old’s decision to leave the only franchise he’s ever known and join his hometown team figures to provide only minor changes to the playoff picture in the East. Neither the Heat nor the Bulls were going to be a championship contender next season (although Miami at least could have at least entertained the idea of winning the conference if the Cleveland Cavaliers had experienced a string of bad luck). This free-agent move matters because of Wade’s status as a Heat icon, his connection to his roots on the South Side, and the teams’ shared histories as rivals in the postseason and otherwise.
Although the emotion of it all seems paramount, it would be wrong to discount what Wade’s change of scenery could mean for both teams on the court next season. We’ve already discussed how the Heat can try to save face with the loss of the greatest player in the franchise history. But it’s likely more interesting that the Bulls, the team that ostensibly won Wade’s services, could be more scattered and lacking direction than the squad that just suffered the very surprising and historically relevant loss. Chicago appears to have constructed a dollar-store version of a superteam, one that has several glaring weaknesses that could lead to prolonged stretches of trouble on the court.
To be clear, that’s not because the Bulls have bad players. Wade is likely not worth nearly $24 million per season on the strength of his play alone, but he is still quite effective when he plays. At 34 years old, he played in 74 games (his highest total since 2010-11) and 30.5 minutes per game, a career low. He is now a volume scorer — 19.0 ppg on 45.6 percent from the field, another career low — but his play against the Charlotte Hornets in their playoff series this April proves that Wade can still dominate important games when called upon. He’s an aging star who requires serious upkeep, yet there are plenty of reasons why Wade had several suitors once his departure from Miami became a distinct possibility.
The issue for Chicago is that Wade seems like a terrible fit with their other best two players. Sunday’s two-year agreement with Rajon Rondo appeared to nullify a few of the positive outcomes of the Derrick Rose trade — Rondo needs the ball a lot, could stall Jimmy Butler’s development into the face of the franchise and/or dull his trade value, and doesn’t stretch the defense due to his lack of shooting. Wade is a similar player, if also one far less likely to cause locker room discontent and unrest. It would be difficult to construct a worse shooting backcourt than Rondo and Wade. The former’s shooting woes are well known, but Wade was far worse from deep in 2015-16. He shot a horrendous 15.9 percent on threes with only 0.6 attempts per game, numbers that Rondo more-than-doubled as primary ballhandler for the Sacramento Kings.
There’s no telling what Wade and Rondo will look like as a duo. It’s easy to imagine defenses daring them to shoot, closing off passing lanes and going under every screen in the process. Both players are set in their ways, as well, which could lead to some truly ugly showings. Though talented, they are used to playing with teams built around what they lack, especially in the case of Wade. What will they do when forced into this inexact pairing? Offense aside, these aging players must also contend with likely speed deficiencies in defending opposing backcourts and the learning curve they will experience in learning each other’s tendencies.
Then there’s Butler, who seemed set to become the face of the franchise after Rose’s departure and now has to play an unfamiliar position alongside one more ball-dominant guard than he did last season. Never the most consistent shooter, Butler could spend many possessions as a spot-up option. He could be helped by receiving less attention from defenses, but those advances could well be mitigated by a lack of space in the lane. Butler will get his numbers and play solid defense, because that’s what he does. However, it’s hard not to think he would’ve been better off if the Bulls had traded him to the Boston Celtics or Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night.
The rest of the lineup will have to be constructed around these players. Either Nikola Mirotic or Doug McDermott seems like a must-play as a stretch four, but that will bring serious defensive questions. Trade acquisition Robin Lopez will start at center, as expected, but he’s a dirty-work type whom defenses can slough off with little fear of suffering the consequences.
It’s fair to say that head coach Fred Hoiberg will have his hands full again just one year after struggling to connect with many players used to Tom Thibodeau’s ways. Hoiberg was brought in to open up the offense and keep players fresh, but Gar Forman and John Paxson have handed him a roster with serious injury questions and mismatched parts. A disappointing season in Chicago showed little evidence that Hoiberg is on Thibodeau’s level, but it’s still easy to feel like he’s betting set up to fail. What exactly is this team supposed to achieve?
There will surely be some fun moments. Wade and Butler are too talented not to dominate for stretches, and Rondo is always for good for a handful of triple-doubles when he’s given the opportunity to play his way. Wade’s homecoming should also provide some very cool memories for both player and city, no matter the strength of his identification with Miami. For that matter, it’s nice that Wade avoided the Unitas-on-the-Chargers ignominy of wearing the Denver Nuggets’ powder blue or the Milwaukee Bucks’ green. At least he gets to wear black and red as a member of his childhood team.
Nevertheless, the Bulls increasingly resemble a more successful version of the famously directionless Sacramento Kings. From some perspectives, bringing in Wade (a true legend!) and Rondo (the reigning NBA assists leader!) ranks as a successful summer. But teams have to play together, and this one could be in for some very uncomfortable and long-running growing pains.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
