Rajon Rondo gained respect by standing up for his “rank-and-file” teammates and is unlikely to be traded before the Feb. 23rd deadline, writes Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. Discord in the Bulls‘ locker room was aired publicly last week when Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler both went to the media with complaints that some players don’t care enough. Rondo responded on Instagram with a post saying that the veteran leaders on his former Celtics teams never would have done that. Rondo not only improved his standing in the locker room, he has also been productive in his role with the second unit, creating shots for younger players rather than fighting Wade and Butler for the ball.
During a segment on ESPN Radio this week (audio link via Aldo Soto), Ryen Russillo passed along an interesting story he had heard about Jimmy Butler and the Bulls’ front office, explaining why the star forward doesn’t trust the team’s decision-makers. According to Russillo, after Butler passed on signing a rookie-scale extension in 2014, Chicago’s front office threatened to reduce his minutes to diminish his value heading into restricted free agency. As Russillo tells it, Tom Thibodeau stepped in to make sure that didn’t happen, and the Bulls and Butler ultimately got a deal done in free agency, but Butler’s mistrust of the team’s front office has endured, and has extended to current head coach Fred Hoiberg as well.
Asked today about Russillo’s story, Butler said that he doesn’t really remember “what went on” during extension negotiations, adding that it happened a long time ago and that it’s no one’s business anyway (Twitter link via Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com). While that’s not exactly a confirmation of the report, it’s hardly a strong denial either, which suggests there may be some truth to Russillo’s account.
Here are a few more Bulls notes:
- When he was specifically asked today about his relationship with Bulls executives Gar Forman and John Paxson, Butler insisted that it’s “good,” per Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. “They’re my bosses,” Butler said. “We talk like men if I have a problem [or] if they have a problem, we talk like we’re supposed to. I think it’s very professional.”
- There’s a “growing sense among league insiders” that a Butler trade may be the best course of action for the Bulls’ future, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. That’s not the same thing as the Bulls themselves sharing that view, but Kyler notes that Chicago sources admit the team is at something of a crossroads. As Kyler writes, the young players the Bulls anticipated would evolve into complementary players around Butler haven’t developed as the team hoped so far.
- With this year’s trade deadline just over three weeks away, Mark Schanowski of CSNChicago.com takes a closer look at some of the Bulls’ trade options.
- According to Hoiberg, rookie guard Denzel Valentine will remain in the D-League with the Windy City Bulls for the team’s next three games, and will be re-evaluated by the NBA club after that (link via Nick Friedell). Chicago’s D-League affiliate is in action this afternoon in Long Island.
There are some rival executives who think that the Bulls and Celtics will revisit trade talks involving Jimmy Butler in the coming weeks, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. The two teams discussed Butler around the time of the 2016 draft, and as Johnson points out, Boston still holds the same assets that were a major part of those June talks: Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, and multiple first-round picks.
Johnson rightly notes that Butler has a chance to become eligible for a designated veteran extension in the summer of 2018, if he makes an All-NBA team next season. The possibility of qualifying for that mega-extension may sour Butler on the idea of a trade, since he wouldn’t be eligible for a designated veteran deal if he changes teams. Of course, the veteran swingman doesn’t have any sort of no-trade clause, so he couldn’t stop a deal if the Bulls wanted to move him.
Since those June trade talks, there has been little to no indication that Chicago intends to move its biggest star. However, as Johnson writes, it’s not out of the question that last week’s drama involving Butler, Dwyane Wade, and Rajon Rondo generates a new round of “internal debate” about the team’s long-term core.
As we wait to see whether Butler stays put through the trade deadline, let’s round up a few more Bulls notes…
- The 14th overall pick in the 2016 draft, Denzel Valentine has endured an up-and-down rookie season so far. In his aforementioned piece for The Tribune, Johnson details how Valentine has responded to the injury issues, illnesses, and coaching decisions that have slowed him down in his first NBA season.
- Bobby Portis is another young Bulls player who has seen his playing time fluctuate this season under Fred Hoiberg, but he got a chance to see some action on Sunday with Taj Gibson ailing, Johnson writes in a separate article for The Tribune. As for Gibson, he hopes to return to Chicago’s lineup on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City after receiving a cortisone shot on Sunday.
- In the wake of Rondo’s Instagram post last week, in which he defended his younger teammates and criticized the actions of Butler and Wade, the veteran point guard has received praise from those younger teammates, according to Johnson. Nikola Mirotic and Jerian Grant are among the Bulls players that referred to Rondo as a great teammate.
Here are Monday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
10:01 pm:
- The Bulls have assigned Denzel Valentine to their D-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, according to a team press release. The rookie scored 24 points while adding eight assists and seven rebounds in his only D-League appearance this season.
- The Clippers have assigned Diamond Stone to the Salt Lake City Stars, according to the team’s website. The franchise does not have its own D-League affiliate, so it will use the league’s flex assignment rule.
2:05 pm:
- The Pelicans have taken advantage of the flexible assignment rule by sending rookie big man Cheick Diallo to the D-League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Because New Orleans doesn’t have its own NBADL affiliate, Diallo will join the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s D-League club.
- The Raptors have assigned Bruno Caboclo to the D-League, according to the team (Twitter link). The Raptors 905 will play in Canton tomorrow, though it’s not clear if Caboclo’s assignment will last that long, given how often he has been shuttled up and down this season.
- Pistons youngsters Henry Ellenson, Darrun Hilliard, and Michael Gbinije have been sent to the Grand Rapids Drive, per a press release issued by the club. The trio hasn’t seen a ton of action for the NBA team this season, but has combined to average 57.2 total PPG in D-League action.
Here are the D-League transactions from the day:
8:33pm:
- The Trail Blazers have assigned guard Tim Quarterman to the D-League, the team has announced on its website. He’ll suit up with with Windy City Bulls.
6:58pm:
- The Raptors have recalled Jared Sullinger, Bruno Caboclo and Delon Wright, tweets the team’s media relations department. In his lone game of action, a rehab stint, Sullinger scored 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.
- The Bulls have recalled rookie Denzel Valentine from their D-League affiliate, the team has announced via press release. The guard dropped 24 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists in his only performance.
Coach Fred Hoiberg plans to get tougher with players as he tries to fix the Bulls, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. That was one of the points made at a team meeting Friday that capped a tumultuous week in which Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo all went public with comments about problems in the locker room. “His message was, ‘I’m going to hold you guys more accountable. I give you guys a lot of leeway because I care about you and I understand how hard it is to be an NBA player and to go home at night with so much on your back. I was there. I’ve been there. But now I have to do a better job.’ And I can respect that,” said Taj Gibson.
The Heat could accommodate Dwyane Wade if he ever wants to return to Miami, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Wade has a player option for next season and may decide he doesn’t want to stay in Chicago with an underachieving and bickering team. The Heat could create room for Wade this summer when they expect to clear Chris Bosh‘s salary from their cap. Also, Tyler Johnson‘s new deal counts just $5.9MM against this cap for 2017/18, but balloons to $19MM a year later. Wade would get $23.8MM next season if he decides to opt in with the Bulls, but Winderman believes the Heat could bring him back to Miami if he agrees to take that money over two seasons.
There’s more news from South Florida:
- Miami’s seven-game winning streak may make team president Pat Riley think about keeping some of the team’s upcoming free agents, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The Heat will have about $40MM in cap room this summer, but re-signing Dion Waiters and Willie Reed, who can both opt out, along with James Johnson, who is on a one-year deal, would eat up a major part of that. All three have been key contributors to the team’s recent success.
- The Heat’s streak happened because the team has de-emphasized player development, at least temporarily, Winderman states in a separate piece. With injuries keeping Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson out of the lineup, veterans like Waiters and Wayne Ellington are seeing more playing time. Elllington has a nonguaranteed salary of $6.27MM for next season that the Heat must decide on by July 12th.
- Reed’s contract for next season calls for the league minimum, which he can easily exceed on the open market, Winderman writes in the same story. Reed is averaging 5.6 points and 4.9 rebounds through 39 games, mostly as a backup to Hassan Whiteside.
Here are the D-League transactions for Saturday:
10:10 pm:
- The Bulls have assigned Denzel Valentine to their D-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls, according to a team press release. Valentine has seen action in 27 contests for the NBA club. He’s averaging 3.3 points in 11.9 minutes per game this season.
- The Grizzlies have recalled Wade Baldwin from the Iowa Energy, according to the team’s website. Baldwin has appeared in 13 games for the Energy this season and he’s scoring 13.3 points per game.
11:56 am:
- The Mavs have recalled Nicolas Brussino from their D-League affiliate, the team has announced via press release. In two separate stints with the Dallas affiliate Texas Legends, Brussino has averaged 16.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
- The Jazz have recalled rookie/birthday boy Joel Bolomboy from their D-League affiliate in Salt Lake City. Bolomboy has averaged 15.8 points and 12.9 rebounds per game in 14 D-League contests.
There has been plenty of drama in Chicago this season, much of which has involved Rajon Rondo, but the Bulls have no plan to buy out the point guard tweets K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
Rondo was most recently in the news for firing back at Bulls teammates Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler in an Instagram post. The post was a response to comments made by Wade and Butler that questioned the integrity of their teammates.
Despite the saga that has unfolded this season, the Bulls have an asset in Rondo that shouldn’t be cast aside. Johnson writes that, not only has Rondo played well and acted professionally, but his contract remains a valuable trade chip as well.
The Bulls are recovering from a PR crisis, after a very eventful week. Unhappy with critical comments made by Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo posted a now-infamous Instagram rant, in which he cited the team’s “leadership” as the source of blame for recent struggles. The team held a private meeting earlier today, but only time will tell how much longer the Wade-Butler-Rondo unit will remain intact.
Here’s the latest out of Chicago:
- Wade gave a measured response to Rondo’s critiques, refusing to retaliate in similar fashion. “I could take that as a personal attack,” Wade told reporters, including K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “But what’s that going to do for me? Come in and fight Rajon because he said his vets practiced every day? I’m 35. I’m not practicing every day. That’s very clear. Everyone has their own things. My vets did different things too. They were very successful with what they did in Boston.” Johnson noted that even young players were allowed to speak their piece in the team meeting.
- It made no sense for Chicago to bring in Wade and Rondo on a one-year experiment, Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel writes. While the Bulls hold the eighth-seed in the Eastern Conference, the team’s chemistry looks to have reached its nadir.
- Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra shared his thoughts on the situation with Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “Welcome to the NBA. That’s around every team. What I see is a team that’s in the eight spot right now. They have a very talented team. They have two players generating over 60 percent of their offense, one of them we know very well. That guy’s [Wade] a killer. They have 19 all-star appearances on that team. They have something we would love to be in right now, that’s that eight spot.”
- Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg and team GM Gar Forman noted their disappointment in the conduct of Wade, Butler, and Rondo. “It’s unacceptable to air your grievances through the media,” Hoiberg told reporters. “We talked about that in the very first meeting of the year. If you have issues, sit behind closed doors and talk about it, and we move forward and we get better because of it.” In a limited statement, Forman claimed to have dealt with the situation internally. Interestingly, Wade refused to address a question regarding Hoiberg’s control over the locker room.
- Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune wondered aloud how Forman and John Paxson can keep their jobs as the team disintegrates.