Wade-Ing Back Home

I've been so busy the past few days, I haven't had time to give my thoughts on Pau Gasol joining the San Antonio Spurs.  That post will have to wait another day though because a story of much greater interest broke Wednesday night.  What happened goes against the "younger, more athletic" vision Gar Forman had for the Bulls during his draft night press conference.  But it also plays into his statement that the team would execute a retool rather than a rebuild.

Dwyane Wade, whom the Bulls coveted on 2003 draft night, but was taken by the Miami Heat first, is leaving the team he won three championships and became a future Hall of Famer with to come home.  He's agreed to a two-year, $47.5 million deal with the Bulls, making it the first time he's ever been the highest paid player on his team.  The second year contains a player option, so he could opt out for free agency if he wishes.

Returning to the area he grew up in, Wade stated in a farewell letter to Miami he always envisioned it happening.  Like many of us, he grew up watching Michael Jordan lead his hometown team to six championships.  A lot of his family still lives in the area.  Now, as the 34-year-old Marquette graduate gets closer to the end of his career, everything has come full circle.

The Bulls had to create cap space in order to meet Wade's salary.  They shipped Mike Dunleavy to the Cleveland Cavaliers for what will likely be a second-round draft pick or overseas player.  Jose Calderon, acquired in the Derrick Rose trade, went to the Los Angeles Lakers along with two future second-round picks for future considerations.  And while it doesn't appear to have been a stipulation, Doug McDermott posted on Instagram he's willing to give up his No. 3 jersey for Wade.

This move also shuffles the Bulls' player hierarchy and roles a bit.  Wade automatically becomes the most talented player they have, even at his age.  Jimmy Butler will move to small forward in the starting lineup, allowing Wade to work with Rajon Rondo in the backcourt.  All three are fine with it since Butler and Rondo recruited Wade to join them.

As Bulls fans, the first thing we have to think about is the team's prior history with Wade.  His Miami teams won three of four playoff meetings, two of them en route to championships, the second coming three years after he nearly signed with the Bulls.  When LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined him at a time the Bulls were looking to ascend even higher, all three were regularly reviled in Chicago, resulting in a playoff atmosphere whenever the Heat came to the United Center.  And he was a rookie on the team that dealt the first Bulls loss I saw in person (my sixth game overall).

Now that Wade is a Bull, the chief concern, other than his injury-prone knees and high mileage on his legs, is how well can he, Butler and Rondo perform in Fred Hoiberg's pace-and-space system?  All three are a combined 29.7 percent from beyond the three-point line in their careers.  It might be Hoiberg who will have to adjust instead by way of more isolation plays those three prefer.  He had two of those players last year in Butler and Rose, but now, it's becoming an epidemic.

Had this move taken place five or six years ago, the city would be ecstatic.  Championship dreams would be at a fever pitch.  Instead, Wade and Rondo are older and while still effective, are no longer players who can catapult a franchise to the top of the league.  Getting to the first or second round of the playoffs is attainable now, but it's unreasonable to expect the Bulls to challenge Cleveland, Toronto and especially the brand-new super team that just formed with Kevin Durant headed to Golden State.

As far as entertainment value goes however, there will be plenty of it.  Last season was not fun because everyone was clinging onto championship aspirations that flopped spectacularly.  The Bulls didn't look good a lot of the time either.  Now, with one of the NBA's biggest names and one of it's most prolific passers, interest in the team has piqued once again.

Of course, there's just as high a likelihood that this team won't win more than 30 games.  It's possible Hoiberg will insist his way is the best way and everyone involved will have just as bad a time as those on last year's team did.  That seems to be the biggest fear for many critics:  all that money the Bulls dished out will be for naught and they'll be forced to start that rebuild they didn't want anyway.

But here's the thing:  as optimal as a rebuild might seem, and I've called for it several times myself over these past few months, it's never a sure thing.  Why don't you ask the Philadelphia 76ers how well that's worked for them?  Or how long it took the Los Angeles Clippers to earn the relevancy they now have?  A lot needs to go your way and the Bulls' brass understands that, which is probably why they only wanted to go so far in that "younger, more athletic" idea Forman preached.

Be careful what you wish for.  Do you really want to relive the Tim Floyd and Bill Cartwright years?  I sure as heck don't want six straight years without a playoff spot again.  That was a terrible time to be a Bulls fan and as Jerry Reinsdorf has shown in recent years, he'll be damned if he allows that to happen as long as he lives.

And you know how Rondo and Butler recruited Wade to come to Chicago?  Just remember that helped bring Miami's Big 3 together.  The addition of Wade also gives the Bulls a bigger recruiter than they ever had in Rose.  Assuming he doesn't opt out after this year, the Bulls could use him to help lure a big free agent to Chicago such as Russell Westbrook or Blake Griffin and they'll have to cap space to do just that.

So if you ask me, the positives of bringing Wade home far outweigh the negatives.  Sure, it won't add a seventh championship banner to the rafters, but for short-term image and entertainment, it's brilliant.  We shouldn't punish ourselves by thinking negatively about this team.  It all depends on curbing your expectations.

I hate basketball hell as much as the next guy, but if you're going to be there, you might as well look good.  You can't convince me I would have preferred Calderon, Jerian Grant and Robin Lopez as the biggest offseason acquisitions over this.  And while Denzel Valentine would have been fun to see in the starting lineup, putting the final draft lottery pick there would have painted the Bulls as a team in a lot worse trouble.  Wade and Rondo have the NBA accolades to justify watching them.

A league that thrives on talent should mean the Bulls will fit in just fine.  Maybe they won't rack up the wins and postseason success as the top tier of the league, but how can you not be interested in what they now have to offer?  It should convince TNT and ESPN to give them almost as many national TV games as they did last year.  Wade alone draws lots of attention and if this doesn't assure the Bulls play the New York Knicks on Christmas, nothing will.

The time has come to let bygones be bygones and get behind this kid from Robbins.  It will definitely feel weird at first, but we should come to accept him, maybe even love him, over time.  His mere presence is already putting fun back into Bulls basketball.  With that in mind, welcome home, Dwyane.