The Chicago Bulls have now locked in Dwyane Wade to be their two guard for the foreseeable future. It is a funny situation they have put themselves in. They have three wing players who do not have great ability to shoot. They signed Rajon Rondo who is a pass first player, and has never sniffed mediocre shooting numbers. Dwyane Wade works better in the mid-range and attacking the basket, and Jimmy Butler shot 31% from three last season.
All of these players like isolation sets, being in control of the basketball and the tempo of the offense. It seems like with these three players, the Bulls were trying to make some creation of star power with big names, and did not really think through how this would work out. With Jimmy Butler just entering his prime, he should be around a younger talented cast, with the ability to grow with them for the long term. I am not sure if Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade are part of that answer.
So that begs the question…Did Miami know what they were doing when they let Wade walk? Now, one would be stupid to think that Pat Riley and the organization did not try hard to get Dwyane Wade back for the rest of his career. He had been a Miami Heat from the day he came into the league, so there was no reason why they didn’t want him to finish out his amazing career there.
But, Pat Riley is smart enough to know that this Heat team would not be in a bad position even if Wade left. Wade leaving was a tough one to swallow, but this team is still better off, in the present and the future.
Here is why.
For one, Miami does not take a big step back next year because they still were able to re-sign Hassan Whiteside who may have some of the biggest upside of anyone in this league. With Goran Dragic still running point, him and Whiteside could create some good basketball to watch in Miami. They have even more young talent around those two that can create some positive opportunities for the future. Since they are now so young, they can cater to Erik Spoelstra’s up-tempo style of offense that he likes to run. The Heat will miss some of Wade’s takeover ability, but if they are able to bring back Chris Bosh, who has been sidelined with blood clot issues, then they certainly can be a force in the East.
This Heat team has flexibility now with how Riley has the team set. He prepared for a team after Wade was gone, and that is now coming into fruition. On the other hand, with Chicago, they did not get younger, and are taking a big risk. Sure, they can have a good chance at a playoff run this year, but the fun will be short lived. They have a lot of questions to be answered in the upcoming years. It was a cool move to see by Chicago, but they are not as set and poised for the future like Miami is.
