By Sam Smith | 7.8.2016 | 9:10 p.m.
This story was written before the signing of Dwyane Wade and was held until Wade’s signing was announced.
Rajon Rondo officially joined the Bulls Thursday, signing a two-year contract with a second season option and met reporters at the Advocate Center. He smiled, I think, once, in 15 minutes speaking off to the side of the basketball floor. He was direct, forthcoming, candid and unequivocal, bristling just once and not when asked about whether he was a head case.
He never once sought to bite the head off a live chicken, or media member.
No one is what that seem, and few are how they have been depicted or perceived.
“A lot is perception,” said Rondo, the willowy, 6-1 point guard whose rawboned look belies a mental and physical toughness. “Not to knock or anything, you make the bed, you lay in it. As you get to know me, and you’ll get to know me a little bit more, and coach Hoiberg will get to know me, we’ll see from there. I think I have a clean slate here and these guys are looking forward and I’m just as thrilled to be here.
“You can consider me stubborn, but I think I’m really intelligent,” Rondo went on. “I don’t BS around. I put a lot of work in, I watch film. I study. People may knock it, but I think it’s what makes me great. I talk to a lot of older players and players I have respect for and they don’t consider it a knock. I talk to older coaches as well. People have always doubted me, and this is day one. We’ll see.”
The Bulls may just have come up with a gem that has looked to many like a lump of coal.
Rondo’s credentials are unchallenged as an NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, four-time All-Star and all-defensive player, three-time league assists leader including last season with the Sacramento Kings. Yet, he didn’t get a long term contract offer in free agency in this summer of NBA money madness. His deal with the Bulls can be terminated after a season.
Because there’s also the Rondo who had ACL surgery in 2012 and sat out a full year, who had another procedure in 2014, who after being traded to the Dallas Mavericks in late 2014 was suspended by the team and eventually dismissed during the playoffs, who was suspended by the league for homophobic slurs against an official last season and not asked back by the woeful Kings even after leading the league in assists.
That’s the guy you want to lead your team in the wake of the departures of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol, and with Miami’s Dwyane Wade expected to sign a two-year contract with the Bulls? The Bulls have put into place a deal for Wade, but it remains unofficial and unconsummated until all the players involved, including Mike Dunleavy and Jose Calderon, pass physicals. So the Bulls were not in position Thursday to acknowledge Wade joining the team even though Rondo discussed it.
Wade cohosted the Live with Kelly TV show Thursday morning from New York and discussed his reasons for leaving the Miami Heat and signing with the Bulls.
Yes, Kelly Ripa was the first to announce on national TV Thursday, “You are the newest Chicago Bull.”
Wade thanked her.
“It’s surreal,” said Wade, the future NBA Hall of Famer from Richards High School in Oak Lawn. “I’m still numb. I had been in Miami for 13 incredible years. You get a week to decide what you are going to do. I got no sleep, I lost probably five or 10 pounds not being able to eat. I want to thank all my fans in Heat nation the way they embraced me, this shy kid from Chicago and really grew up and we did some special things together.
“I was born and raised in Chicago,” said Wade. “I’m excited to go back to the place I’ve always envisioned playing basketball. Being a kid growing up, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were the team. I always had a Bulls jersey on and envisioned my name being called in the United Center. I get an opportunity to live that dream out.”
And in the backcourt next to Rondo, with whom Wade had an infamous incident in the 2011 playoffs when he threw down Rondo and when they went at it again in the 2012 playoffs in Game 7.
Hey, Dennis Rodman became a Bulls hero.
“I think I’m coming off one of my best seasons,” said the uber confident Rondo. “A lot of people didn’t see me play in Sacramento. I think we had one TV game. I was pretty healthy this year. I didn’t miss any games as far as injuries. I feel great. And as you’ve seen this year, Dwyane’s been doing the same. We’re a little bit older in age, but I think that’s wiser. If the Bulls had an opportunity to get younger then they would have went that way, but when you come up on a guy like Dwyane Wade, I don’t think you can pass up on the opportunity. I’ve talked to Wade. I wanted stronger, dominant players, as many as you can have. So a guy like Wade, with the year he had this past year, I think we’ll be a very talented team, a very versatile team, especially at the guard position.
“We didn’t touch on (their history),” Rondo added, though he apparently wasn’t quite ready for the more familiar first name. “We’re older, we’re wiser and moving forward. To play with a guy like that, that I’ve battled against personally, it’s always great to have a guy like that on your side.”
It’s an intriguing turn of events for the Bulls, who a few weeks back, frankly, looked like a 30-win team trying what looked like a long turnaround. Now they’ve been able to retain those players, like Denzel Valentine, Jerian Grant, Doug McDermott, Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis along with their draft picks and add two multiple All-Stars.
Yes, both are into their 30s, and they’ve had injuries. But they are pros and competitors, and from a developmental season with limited prospects the Bulls can say they can be an Eastern contender for a top four spot again like last season while retaining the financial wherewithal to pursue major free agents the next two years.
In effect, the Bulls traded Rose for Robin Lopez, Grant and Rondo, and Jose Calderon and Mike Dunleavy for Wade. Probably worth the risk.
Sure, they’re not younger, but there is plenty of youth, and it’s not a three-point battery with Wade, Jimmy Butler and Rondo all limited in three-point shooting. But most of the NBA game, especially in the playoffs, is played in the half court and more about execution than elevation. At the very least, the Bulls should be one of the more interesting and dynamic teams to watch in both potential production and the potential for the unexpected.
Hey, it is the entertainment business.
Rondo has been all of that in competition on the court and seemingly with himself.
He was selected 21st in the 2006 draft out of the U. of Kentucky by Phoenix and dealt to Boston for mostly cash and a draft pick because of his poor shooting. He backed up Sebastian Telfair as a rookie and then got the starting job in 2007 as the Celtics won the NBA title and even Phil Jackson said Rondo was the dominant figure in the closing game.
Rondo became an elite NBA point guard primarily as a facilitator, though with a backdrop of so called clashes with teammates and coaches, the low point the dismissal during the playoffs in Dallas. So perhaps Rondo is a bit of an acquired taste, though mostly because he’s never been one to accept the demands of fools, some of whom have been NBA players or coaches.
“We have three alphas on the team,” Rondo acknowledged forthrightly about he, Wade and Butler. “The main thing is trying to mesh together and sacrifice and just trying to do what’s best for the team. Sacrifice for one another and whatever we do is for the greater of the team. Obviously, I think it’s Jimmy’s team. Wade…I don’t know how they’re going to handle that, but Jimmy’s the youngest, he’s the engine here. It’ll be Jimmy, Wade, and then it will be a pecking order. What makes me confident (it can work) is what I’ve been through, what I’ve seen, what I’ve witnessed. I think everything in life you go through is for a reason. For me, playing in Boston, playing with the Big Three (Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce), I was able to see how those guys interacted with one another. Knowing that everything doesn’t have to be perfect in practice. You’re going to disagree, but if you all have one common goal at the end of the day and that’s to get a W, that’s all that matters. Egos go out the window and we all have one common goal.”
It’s always easier said, though Rondo’s fault, if it can be called that, is that he can be too curious.
There’s an historic view of the coach/player relationship, or with veteran teammates. It’s more submission where the coach tells you what to do and you do it without hesitation. Rondo never has had an issue with that. He’s just someone who wants to know why given the circumstances, and if you cannot give him a good answer he may not go along. Same with teammates no matter their reputations.
“My first nine years in Boston, Doc (Rivers) and I had a great relationship where at times he wanted to call a certain play and we did that,” explained Rondo. “And there was times when he gave me a lot of freedom and allowed me to grow into the player I am today.”
Which meant Rondo knew Doc had made a mistake and told him so.
Just because you are the player doesn’t mean you don’t know as much. Often you know more. I’ve hated this trend in recent decades in which managers call pitches, coaches call all the plays for quarterbacks and in the NBA coaches signal everything. Many who never have played. I prefer the leader on the court, and it seems Rondo has often as well.
Sometimes the boss doesn’t like that.
Which is why Hoiberg may be an ideal coach for Rondo. Hoiberg isn’t driven by protecting an ego or threatened by someone else’s knowledge. This may be a better team for Hoiberg than last season, one that can make decisions on its own. Hoiberg asked last year’s group to do so and they kept turning to look for plays.
“He’s not an egotistical coach,” Rondo noted of Hoiberg. “He’s not a dominant (I think he meant dominating) coach. He likes for his guys to have input. When he asks my input, I’ll obviously share. We’ll go in his office and watch some film and figure out what’s best for the team.”
Fred doesn’t like to yell; and Rondo doesn’t like to be yelled at.
They may just be a beautiful couple.
“I think for me, all the pieces fit as far as the style of coach I want to play for, the type of organization, class A, and then the personnel that you have on the court,” said Rondo. “For me as a player, the position I play is the point guard position, to be surrounded by so many great shooters (Mirotic, McDermott, perhaps Denzel Valentine) and an offense like coach Hoiberg’s trying to run, I think it will go well together. It’s more of a read based offense. It’s not so much dictated on calling a set every time down the floor. I like to make my plays off reactions. I try to be two or three steps ahead of my guy, my opponent. So it’s a perfect system to try to be great in.”
Which is when Rondo had his one bristle when asked about not liking micromanaging coaches.
“I didn’t say that,” he responded sharply.
Rondo may not always be easy for media because reporters won’t be able to get away with posing a “question” like, “So, what happened?”
“I know how to spread the ball around, I know how to keep guys happy, I think it’s what I do best,” said Rondo. “It doesn’t show up in the stat sheet, but knowing the game, knowing when to get guys shots, putting them in the best position to be successful. I’m not filling (Rose’s) shoes; it’s a completely different team. Derrick and I are different players. I’ve had a lot of respect for Derrick, I’m gonna come in and be Rajon Rondo.
“What makes me great?” he responded after being asked what makes him great, “I think the intangibles, the little things I do on the court. I think we have a lot of great leaders in our league, but I think I’m one of the best. I’m blessed to have a job. I’ve always had pressure my whole career, my whole life. People have always doubted me. I expect great things from myself. As long as the guys are happy with my performance, that’s all that matters. I don’t lose sleep over what people say about me, what the perception is about me. I know who I am. The people around me, my loved ones, they know who I am as a person. I know I’m a great person.
“On paper, everybody looks good now,” Rondo agreed of the usual summer of optimism. “A lot of teams have upgraded. If you don’t have one common goal and come together, then it can be one way or the other. Last year, I saw DeMarcus Cousins destroy a lot of players. And Lopez battled him. He had a really good game, maybe a 20-20 game. That kind of opened my eyes as far as the type of player he was. I’m excited to play with him. I want to see what his hands are like. I’m a pass first pass guard. So a lot of these guys are going to have to get on the same page and figure out where the ball is coming. I don’t think none of these guys have ever played with a guy like me.
“I’m a true believer that hard work pays off,” said Rondo. “I try to stay out of the media. I had one hiccup (with the official). But I stay low and kept my nose into the gym. I went from home to the gym as much as possible and just focused on basketball. We didn’t have a great season in Sacramento. But for me coming off the year I had with the injuries and having a full season and training camp, I think I had a pretty good season. If you play as hard as possible, anybody can win. That’s why you play. It’s a matter of how quickly we can get on the same page. If we can buy into what the system is and what coach wants from us as a team, that’s when we’ll peak.”
Of course, like others before him, Rondo’s reception hasn’t always been welcoming in Chicago, like when he viciously clotheslined Brad Miller back in the historic 2009 playoffs, a play that enabled the Celtics to probably win the series.
Flagrant? Rondo was asked.
“In today’s game, yes. But back then, I was just trying to make sure he didn’t make the layup,” Rondo said as he clearly remembered. “I don’t think I’m a dirty player. I play to win. He had to make the free throws. He didn’t. And we won. So that’s how it worked out.”
And it may just work out for the Bulls.
