Rewind to just before the start of this year’s NBA season.
The Chicago Bulls had just gone from relative afterthought to exciting storyline with the unexpected addition of Chicago native Dwyane Wade, after beginning a re-build centered around star G Jimmy Butler and veteran floor general Rajon Rondo.
Once thought as a possible challenger to LeBron James & the Cleveland Cavaliers in the east; that time seems to be long past us and the Bulls look like they’re just waiting for the season to be over…even though they’re somehow still very much in the thick of the playoff race, just 1 1/2 games out of the final spot with 16 left on the schedule.
Rondo hasn’t started a game since Nov. 30, despite being healthy pretty much all year, Wade has been spotty at best, & Butler seems to be growing more and more frustrated as the year labors on with the Bulls “big 3” coming up short night after night.
Theres been IG beef, lackluster performances, and now Rondo seems to be pointing the finger at head coach Fred Hoiberg and the front office.
When asked about his time in Chicago thus far, here’s how Rondo responded:
“It’s different, it’s part of, it’s part of life,” Rondo said of his Chicago experience. “I thought it would be different, a lot different. Now it is what it is.”
“My perspective on things [has changed], I would love to be part of a winning tradition or winning culture,” he said. “I thought I was going to get that here. The people up top are going in a different direction as far as experimenting. It [stinks] when you have the opportunity to make the playoffs and they want to go a different route.
“I’m looking for a straightforward coach. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most, sitting down with a coach. I want to develop a relationship and see what his goals are.”
Rondo sounds like he already has one foot out of the door. At age 31, in a league chock full of young guards looking for an opportunity, it remains to be seen what the market for Rondo will look like. His strong personality & attitude will likely eliminate him from joining a championship contender where he’d be coming in as nothing more than a piece; however, if LeBron decided he wanted Rondo as a backup PG next year, I wouldn’t put that out of the realm of possibility.