This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler versus Rajon Rondo. Pointed Instagram posts. General chaos. The Chicago Bulls are a mess, and one man is to blame for it all.
Hint. It's not Tom Thibodeau.
No, the responsibility lands on the doorstep of Bulls general manager Gar Forman. He's the man who created one of the most dysfunctional situations in the NBA, the man who's been given far too much of a pass for far too long. He's the man who needs to answer for the mess in the Windy City.
The drama has been brewing for seemingly forever, but finally came to a head this past week. Late Wednesday night, after a loss to the Atlanta Hawks — where the Bulls allowed 41 points in the fourth quarter — Butler and Wade both went public with their frustration. They questioned their teammates — specifically the role players. They wondered whether the desire to win throughout the roster was where it needed to be. They expressed frustration at not getting the ball in key spots, where they felt they could have made a difference.
On Thursday, Rondo jumped into the fray, responding with a scorched-earth Instagram post, questioning Wade and Butler, and defending the younger guys.
The thing is, nobody should be surprised. This was a flawed roster from the moment Forman put it together last summer. Wade and Butler are good individually, but are a poor match together. Butler is one of the best shooting guards in the NBA, but isn't really big enough to play small forward. That's yielded some undesirable matchups for him, which has affected his normally stellar defense.
Wade and Butler are both slashers, which negatively affects the spacing in the offense. Bringing Rondo onto the roster, where his inability to shoot the ball and his need to dominate the ball was never going to work with Wade and Butler, was folly on Forman's part. Not supplying the roster with shooting — and thus spacing — has doomed the Bulls from the start.
Given this mix of roles and personalities, it was also destined to blow up. Imagine a smoker lighting up near a leaky gas pump. These are your current Chicago Bulls.
Forman has mishandled almost every major issue over the past few seasons. He unceremoniously dumped Thibodeau, who has since moved on and taken over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He hired Fred Hoiberg, who is a wonderful college basketball coach, but hasn't proven much at the NBA level. He made the right move in trading Derrick Rose, and garnered a decent return with Robin Lopez and youngsters like Jerian Grant. But then he sapped Grant's development by bringing in Rondo and Michael Carter-Williams, both of whom play his position.
And now, the Bulls are fractured, on and off the floor.
There isn't a simple solution to this. Wade, with his big contract and advanced age, can't be traded. Nobody wants Rondo. The moves of the summer can't be undone for a team that's used to making the playoffs.
Chicago could trade Butler — who is one of the best players in the league and who is in his prime. But that will mean starting over, and that wouldn't be palatable to the remaining veterans.
The Bulls need to move on from Rondo. And Forman needs to come under the microscope for his mismanagement and astounding ability to foster internal dysfunction. If not, these Bulls will continue to be underachievers.
And their locker room will continue to resemble a soap opera.
Twitter: @tribjazz NBA Power Rankings
1. Golden State Warriors • Four Warriors make the all-star team; now Green wants them all to play with Westbrook.
2. San Antonio Spurs • Rookie point guard Dejounte Murray is the steal of the 2016 draft: 9.3 points in 17 minutes in past 10 games.
3. Houston Rockets • Coming down to Earth a bit. But James Harden continues to play at an MVP level.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers • LeBron James wants more help. Guess what? He's right.
5. Los Angeles Clippers • If they can trade for Carmelo Anthony without surrendering a star, that's a game-changer.
6. Toronto Raptors • Like the Cavaliers, are in a funk. So they haven't made up ground.
7. Utah Jazz • Schedule has worn them down, but they still lead the Northwest.
8. Oklahoma City Thunder • They deserve this spot. But Enes Kanter broke his arm punching a chair. That's a big blow.
9. Boston Celtics • The cries for defense in Beantown are deafening. They haven't been as good there this season.
10. Memphis Grizzlies • Marc Gasol pumps in 42 points on one night. Then he's named an All-Star.
11. Atlanta Hawks • Creeping up on the Celtics for third in the East.
12. Washington Wizards • Not many teams playing better at the moment.
13. Indiana Pacers • Good home team. Not a great road team. Still, maintaining that playoff spot.
14. Charlotte Hornets • Had Golden State on the ropes before wilting in the fourth quarter.
15. Denver Nuggets • Nikola Jokic is the real deal. Not many centers in today's game are more skilled.
16. Chicago Bulls • Grab your popcorn. Wade, Rondo, Butler all going at it.
17. Milwaukee Bucks • In a prolonged slump. They've now lost seven of 10.
18. Detroit Pistons • Reggie Jackson now in trade rumors. Life comes at you fast.
19. Portland Trail Blazers • No Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum on the All-Star team. Blazers' regression no doubt the culprit.
20. Sacramento Kings • If there was ever a chance for the Kings to steal a playoff spot, this is the season.
21. New Orleans Pelicans • Anthony Davis continues to play exceptionally well. Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday now stepping up.
22. Minnesota Timberwolves • Young team improving midseason. Towns has been great lately.
23. Philadelphia 76ers • Let's put this simply: The Sixers are currently one of the hottest teams in the NBA.
24. New York Knicks • Becoming apparent that Melo's days in the Big Apple could be numbered.
25. Orlando Magic • Elfrid Payton becoming a revelation at point guard.
26. Dallas Mavericks • Surrendered 45 points to Hurricane Westbrook on Thursday.
27. Miami Heat • Dion Waiters is playing the best basketball of his career. Hit game-winner against the Warriors.
28. Phoenix Suns • Expect them to be active at trade deadline. Phoenix has veterans teams want.
29. Los Angeles Lakers • Rookie Brandon Ingram continues to be a bright spot.
30. Brooklyn Nets • The only team in the NBA without at least 10 wins.