All is far from well for the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls had an epic meltdown over the course of the past week, with Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler openly ripping the team after blowing a lead and losing. Rajon Rondo fired back at both guys on social media in a scathing post, before Wade did the same.
Chaos.
Now we know why some of the Bulls’ younger players haven’t been happy as of late—Wade’s practice habits.
Forward Taj Gibson revealed this detail of a team meeting with ESPN.com’s Nick Friedell:
“That’s one of the things in the meeting: Young guys just want a little bit more from him,” Gibson said, noting that Wade practiced Saturday. “And he brung it today. He pushed the young guys. And that’s a sign that that meeting did a little something.
Gibson went on to explain the team’s mindset moving forward:
“It’s all about positive. We’re not trying to have any negative aspects, anything like that. We got everybody against us right now. The only people who are going to help us out of this is ourselves. And we understand that. And [executive VP John Paxson] said it in the meeting yesterday, too.”
A culture change in Chicago was inevitable when the front office decided to hit win-now mode with Rondo and Wade. Though the recent happenings around the team have been dramatic, this almost sounds like a public display of growing pains for all involved.
Alas, it is up to older leaders like Wade and Rondo to set the example. Something clearly has to change in a hurry because the Bulls have lost four of their last six and seven of their last 11.
Whether the veterans step up and rally the roster by example will decide the season.
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