The saga continues. After an ugly late-game meltdown against the Hawks last Wednesday, both Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler publicly called out their teammates for a lack of urgency. That prompted the perpetually-disgruntled Rajon Rondo to fire back at them via Instagram about their lack of leadership and accountability. But it didn’t end there, apparently.
According to Taj Gibson, some of the younger guys on the Bulls’ roster have grown resentful about Wade’s infrequent practice schedule, a complaint they brought up during a team meeting last Friday. Via Nick Friedell of ESPN.com:
“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.”
What the younger players obviously don’t get yet is that it isn’t in anybody’s best interest for a 35-year-old vet with a history of knee problems to overexert himself during practice and jeopardize his health. That would’ve been an easy enough explanation, but absolutely no one associated with the Bulls is willing to do anything the easy way these days, so Wade opted instead to snap back with a snarky comment:
Wade: “If I’m saving you guys with 9-1-1 shots, I’m not practicing tomorrow."
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) January 30, 2017
Even if he was only partly kidding, there was still a sharp edge to that sentiment, one that certainly isn’t going to help mend the already fractured relationships among teammates. It seems increasingly-clear that Fred Hoiberg is losing control of his locker-room (if he hasn’t lost it completely already), so Bulls’ fans shouldn’t be surprised if there is a coaching change and/or a roster shakeup by the time the February trade deadline rolls around.
(ESPN.com; h/t Ball Don’t Lie)
