Bulls woes
In the midst of all the hand-wringing about the Rajon Rondo situation, the question those from the outside looking in invariably ask is why the Bulls allowed themselves to be associated with him in the first place. The explanation is complicated, and begins right after the 2015-2016 regular season, when front office honchos sought to quickly address the disappointment of being absent from the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
At any other time, Bulls Vice-President of hoops operations John Paxson and General Manager Gar Foreman would have been feeling the heat. Since first-year head coach Fred Hoiberg was their choice to succeed otherwise successful-but-g rating Tom Thibodeau, however, there was added pressure for them to help make the hiring work. Thusly, they went about assembling a roster they thought would immediately contend instead of sticking to their original plan to get younger in order to build an environment more conducive to longerterm productivity.
And so Paxson and Foreman went about nabbing Dwyane Wade ( a marquee name with impressive credentials but already long in the tooth) and Rajon Rondo (who had just led the league in assists but whose temperamental nature indicated the possibility of trouble ahead). They were confident that their new acquisitions had more pros than cons, and would thereby meet their expectations. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for all and sundry to realize that they would, at best, be batting .500.
To be fair, Wade has proven to be a perfect complement for top dog Jimmy Butler, albeit in spurts; because of advancing age and an increasing susceptibility to injury, the 12- time All- Star requires frequent rest (and especially on the second of back-to-back outings). They completely whiffed on Rondo, though; in their haste to find a replacement for former Most Valuable Player- turned- undesirable Derrick Rose, they ignored warning signs regarding his character. Not for nothing did he wear out his welcome with the Celtics, the Mavericks (really fast), and the Kings, his skills at the one spot notwithstanding. As things turned out, it took him a mere 29 games to be relegated to the end of the bench; his elephant-walk predilections became completely incongruous with Hoiberg’s desire to push for pace and space, and his inability to shoot with any modicum of accuracy or defend with some semblance of focus made him dead weight.
Creditably, Rondo has remained professional regarding his demotion; even as he rides the pine, he continues to stay ready for the opportunity to burn rubber and find ways to understand his plight by keeping lines of communication with Hoiberg, Paxson, and Foreman open. That said, history isn’t kind to those who suffer him. He’s toxic when disengaged, and because the Bulls have evidently decided to demote him for good, they would do well to sever ties with him pronto. All things considered, the trade route will yield zilch; he’s an expensive headache no one wants to take on. Which leaves a buyout that figures to leave the spotlight on them for the foreseeable future.
Hindsight provides for 20/20 vision, but it’s hard to argue with the notion that Paxson and Foreman struck out because they changed their stated strategy of going for singles and doubles in favor of a home run. Now, they need to cut, cleanly and fast, and in the wake of their mistake, it’s too bad that they cannot but
count Bulls fans among the victims.
Bulls Vice-President of hoops operations John Paxson and General Manager Gar Foreman would have been feeling the heat. Since first-year head coach Fred Hoiberg was their choice to succeed otherwise successful-but-g rating Tom Thibodeau, however, there was added pressure for them to help make the hiring work. Thusly, they went about assembling a roster they thought would immediately contend instead of sticking to their original plan to get younger in order to build an environment more conducive to longer-term productivity.