RAGING BULL
WIZARDS 101, BULLS 99 Rondo blasts Bulls, scoffs at notion that benching wasmeant to ‘ saveme from myself’ TELANDER Rose’s latest stunt just part of a pattern
WASHINGTON — Bulls guard Rajon Rondo isn’t going away.
He’s not going to fade quietly into the night, he’s not going to run home and he’s definitely not taking directions to the nearest pasture.
If certain members of the Bulls’ front office and coaching staff want to get rid of Rondo sooner than later, they’re going to have to get their hands dirty.
Enough of using back channels in an effort to justify Rondo’s benching and of unnamed coaches warning Rondo they are trying to ‘‘ save me from myself.’’ Those are acts of a second- rate franchise.
Then again, after a 101- 99 loss Tuesday to the Washington Wizards, maybe that’s all the Bulls are these days. Rookie Denzel Valentine led six Bulls in double figures with a career- high 19 points.
The Rondo drama began anew in the hours leading up to a game in which the Bulls were undermanned. Dwyane Wade had the night off to rest, and Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic were dealing with flulike symptoms. That meant the Bulls had to turn to Rondo after a 5 ½ - game benching.
Rondo, who has been getting his basketball fix by playing pickup games at Irving Middle School in Maywood, still is trying to get his arms around the real reason for his benching.
‘‘ I got a slight explanation from another guy on the staff,’’ Rondo said. ‘‘ A guy told me that he was saving me from myself.’’
When asked whom that guy was, Rondo replied: ‘‘ Who is he? I don’t want to say any names. But that’s what the explanation was. [ Last week], they told me I had a negative- 20 [ in the plus/ minus category] in Indiana at halftime [ Dec. 30]. I think that was part of the reason.’’
Rondo was asked how he interpreted what that staff member told him and replied: ‘‘ I thought it was bull----, you know.’’
When he was asked whether coach Fred Hoiberg has talked with him about his circumstances, Rondo said: ‘‘ Um, how can I say this? No.’’
Hoiberg, who has said the decision was all his, was asked about an explanation and gave a vague response.
‘‘ I’ve talked to him about it,’’ Hoiberg said. ‘‘ The biggest thing we talked about is how he’s handled it. He’s handled it great.’’
But Rondo had a problem with the ‘‘ save me from myself’’ comment.
‘‘ Save me from myself,’’ he said. ‘‘ I never heard that before in my life. But I guess he was trying to do the best thing for me.’’
Asked directly whether he thought the Bulls lied to him when they were signing him, Rondo said: ‘‘ Depends on how you guys write it. But, yeah, it’s different. When I signed here, why I wanted to come here, it’s a lot different than what I anticipated.
‘‘ You’re only as good as your coach thinks you are. That’s a big part of each individual’s success in the NBA.’’
So how was Rondo in his return? He had 12 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals and was a plus- 4 in 27minutes.
Afterward, Hoiberg said Rondo had earned some playing time Thursday against the New York Knicks.
‘‘ We’re a much better team with [ Rondo] on the court,’’ veteran forward Taj Gibson said after the game.
It was a strong statement from Gibson, but it likely fell on deaf ears to those who matter.