Rondo starter anew
Rondo refused to note with certainty that he had his old job back for good. “I would love to be in the starting lineup,” he said, “but you never know.” Considering how he fared yesterday, however, it’s fair to contend that he’ll be directing sets for the
If there was anything that showed the distress with which head coach Fred Hoiberg approached the Bulls’ plight, it was his decision to make point guard Rajon Rondo a starter anew heading into yesterday’s match against the Hornets. He had reason to be concerned, of course; his charges had hitherto dropped five straight matches and six of their last seven, with the striking swoon putting a postseason appearance in jeopardy. Still, going to the very same talent he once relegated to the doghouse in order to inject new life into their 2016-2017 campaign reeked of desperation.
Not that Rondo didn’t deserve a second chance. After all, he exhibited none of the petulance that marked his previous tours of duty with the Kings, Mavericks, and Celtics, not even when he rode the pine amid intense public scrutiny. In fact, he proved to be a model teammate, making full use of his time off the court and between games to serve as a mentor to the Bulls’ younger players. No doubt, his acceptance of his standing allowed Hoiberg to reevaluate his value vis- à- vis the forgettable stints of Michael Carter-Williams and Jerian Grant at the one spot.
Creditably, Rondo made the most of the opportunity, with his solid quarterbacking spurring the Bulls to hit the ground running for once. And while there were the usual lulls in scoring, they were more a function of personnel limitations than of lack of ball movement. And there can be no questioning the result: a 115-109 victory in which the red and black had 41 field goals off 29 assists. As Hoiberg happily pointed out in the aftermath, it was “a beautiful thing” to witness. “We were sharing it. We were making the unselfish plays. It wasn’t sticking in guys’ hands.”
Asked to look ahead, Rondo refused to note with certainty that he had his old job back for good. “I would love to be in the starting lineup,” he said, “but you never know.” Considering how he fared yesterday, however, it’s fair to contend that he’ll be directing sets for the foreseeable future. If nothing else, his confident distribution of the rock gave ailing Dwyane Wade reason to turn back time and woke up erstwhile sleeping dog Jimmy Butler, on whose hands the Bulls’ future truly lie. Winning hoops? Perhaps. For now, though, they’re only too glad to, in the words of vital-cogturned-benchwarmer-turned-supersub Nikola Mirotic, “finally enjoy the game.”