BLAME THAT ’ TUDE
’ 15- 16 Bulls didn’t respect or like each other; Wade says those days are over
It had to be asked. Thirteen seasons in the NBA taught Dwyane Wade that lesson.
How did such a talented Bulls team miss the playoffs last season? Even worse, at 42- 40, they became one of the true underachieving stories of the year.
Wade heard the rumors about discontent in the locker room, and he didn’t mind playing private investigator to get to the bottom of what went wrong with his new team.
“You ask the guys who were here last year how rotten it was,’’ Wade said. “You want to hear from their perspective, whatever it was last year from the standpoint of losing. You don’t do that. I come from a different place and a different culture. Things are done differently different places. So I sat down and listened to guys.
“But the thing is, some of the things they talked about I know are not going to take place. Not while I’m here, not while [ Rajon] Rondo’s here, not while Jimmy [ Butler] continues to grow as a leader. You talk about last year, but at the same time, last year doesn’t matter. We have a different core, and I think our culture is fairly different. We have guys now: Rondo’s won a championship, and I’ve won championships. We demand respect on the court.’’
That wasn’t the case last season. Respect for one another was only a concept for the 2015- 16 Bulls.
Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose didn’t appreciate it when Butler was handed the leadership reins. Butler didn’t respect Rose’s laid- back work ethic. And that just scratched the surface of the ill will.
The Sun- Times reported after the season that Noah was so distrustful of the front office and the way it handled things that he openly told teammates he would not return to the only NBA team he had known.
Noah signed with the Knicks after Rose was traded to New York.
It has only been two days and four practices, but Butler is seeing players who genuinely like each other and admitted just how important camaraderie is for a team’s success.
“I think for the most part, yeah,’’ Butler said. “You definitely gotta like each other. If you don’t, and you can say this doesn’t happen, but I feel like if you don’t like a guy, you’re not going to pass him the ball.’’
Rondo agreed that liking each other on the court was important, but respecting each other would be the key.
That’s all coach Fred Hoiberg can ask for.
“I think [ getting along is important],’’ Hoiberg said. “Bigger than that is having respect for each other. If your team respects each other and how hard you play, then you’re going to be able to have success.’’
That means not only respecting each other, but po- licing each other right away to prevent bad habits or bad feelings from festering.
That happened Wednesday when Wade and Rondo stopped scrimmages to correct teammates and get on guys. Butler also pulled teammates aside to get in their ear.
“There was too much chatter,’’ Rondo said.
A problem put to bed quickly. More important, no bad feelings afterward.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys, as well, so they’ll listen,’’ Wade said.
“We’re not a team with a lot of veteran guys that are kind of stuck in their ways. They’re all ears, and that’s a good thing for this team right now.’’