It is a bargain compared to other contracts. Surprised Rondo signed with a partial guarantee on year two.
Rondo seems like a good contract. Rondo, Butler, Lopez. All good contracts. How to parley that into something meaningful though? Rondo can play at a high pace. Not a great shooter, but not as awful as he used to be. Still though, Rondo / Butler isn't going to stretch many defenses. He wants the ball. Butler wants the ball. Potential for drama. Coach Hoiberg is going to have more of an handful than last year perhaps. Haha, what are they doing? These GarPax bulls are adrift. What is the goal here, other than get to the 1st round of the playoffs. Remeber when the Bulls were an elite team but people were complaining about McDermott and Mirotic not getting enough PT and that Thibs old school ways were holding back the Bulls from entering into the modern era of the NBA. Well, we're here. Rondo / Butler / Lopez..... and plenty of Niko and McDermott if he proves to be worth keeping on the floor for long stretches. If both play like they did last season, Rondo > Rose. Bulls should improve on that front. This team seems like it is lacking any coherent direction, other than make the 1st round of the playoffs.
If it is right that the Kings have played the fastest pace last season then I hope Rondo will help the Bulls while Hoiberg will play with a faster pace.
Agree that the Rondo-Jimmy dynamic is going to be a very interesting one to pay attention to throughout the year, both on-court and off. It'll make or break the team, IMO. I'm not sure yet if they'll respect each other or hate each other. We'll see. These GarPax bulls are adrift. What is the goal here, other than get to the 1st round of the playoffs. I think the Bulls are a better team this year than last. More 2-way players, and swapping out Gasol for RoLo is a win IMO. Not because Rolo's the better player, but because his game is easier to build a team around. Gasol raises your floor and lowers your ceiling, since he requires a lot of usage on offense and you can't build a strong defense around him. Having a low-usage rim roller like RoLo makes it easier for other guys to play their games. It'll be easier to play lineups that use the talent the team has. Whether you agree with the plan or not is one thing, but I think it's clear what the Bulls are trying to do. They want to stay competitive and play for a shot at a big FA in 2017 to pair with Jimmy. That's the plan.
Rondo is not a shoot first pg, that alone will help us. He can get you the ball if you make yourselves available. He pushes the ball all of the time. The same cannot be said about Derrick. If we see some improvement from Doug, Bobby, and Mirortic, we are a playoff team, at least first round.
Sorry to be so late to the party...been busy. Those who know me know that I want whatever is best for the Bulls. When they make a move, I want it to be the right one. No doubt, I've been guilty of wishful thinking in the past. I don't like this signing. I don't much care that Rondo came relatively cheap. He's going to be put in a position that is important to the team's success and he's a documented head case. He quit on his Mavs' teammates a couple years ago in the playoffs. His behavior was unforgivable. Yes, Pippen did something similar, but it wasn't quite the same and it took me a long time to get over that. Hoiberg has not demonstrated that he's a strong leader. I was hoping that Forman would put together a roster of very coachable players. Rondo is the very antithesis. For those who say that, because of the structure of his Bulls' contract, he'll essentially be in a contract year so he'll be a "good boy," he was in a contract year when he quit on the Mavs. Please understand that I get that, if you ignore character, Rondo is a great fit for this Bulls' team. He's a low-usage, pass-first PG and a great defender. I feel that ignoring the character issue in this case is a show of arrogance and I don't like it. God, I hope I'm wrong.
Transplant, if Rondo is irreconciliable the Bulls can just Tim Thomas him if it's not working out. That's always been Pax's MO for dealing with malcontents and I don't see why this case would be any different. Since the second year isn't guaranteed there's no long-term financial risk. Rondo's been a headcase in the past, but not for the typical reasons. He's a smart, hardworking player, but he has a streak of Aspergers in him that cripples his ability to deal with things that don't agree with his logic. Carlisle's a total control freak who has to have things his way, which is the reason they butted heads so badly. AFAICT his relationship with Karl was pretty good. I actually think Fred will be a good coach for him since he's not overbearing and can probably handle his inquisitiveness. He might feel like he has the space he needs to do his thing. My general feeling about headcases is that they shouldn't be tolerated.......but they do change. It's just hard to tell when. JR Smith was a bonehead for most of his career but he settled down when he got to Cleveland and was a key part of their death lineup in the finals. Zach Randolph was a bonehead but managed to find a home in Memphis and has been a staple of their team. Sheed was a bonehead until he went to Detroit, etc, etc. Given the circumstances, he seems like a good bet for a reclamation project.
It remains to be seen how Rondo and Jimmy jive on the court, but I think he'll be great for Doug, Mirotic and Felicio. I always got the impression Doug got frustrated running around the court all the time and not having anyone hit him when he was wide open. I remember several times when he'd be standing in the corner and gesticulating wildly for someone to pass him the ball and Jimmy and Derrick would go into their iso-routine and then the defense would set and the opportunity would be lost. Felicio-Niko-Doug-Jimmy-Rondo could be a killer lineup. Two shot creators, two volume shooters, and a large, agile rim-roller to play the PnR with.
One reason I like GarPax better than the failed "right way" of Paxson is a guy like Rondo is allowed to come here and thrive. Its a good deal and a good contract. Sure, its a risk that he goes rouge. One of the best things about having Thibs as the coach was that you didn't have to worry about that kind of thing as much. He could work with and get the most out of nearly anyone. We'll see if Hoiberg can deal with a strong personality like Rondo. Rosenthall is right.... he and Karl did seemingly get along OK. If they are keeping Butler, I guess this is the only way they can really go. Try to remain respectable and hope a stud FA chooses to come here and play with Jimmy. The NBA is becoming a league of superteams and the rest.. Seems like the only way the Bulls could possibly get the next Lebron or Curry or Durant is to have lotto picks, the higher the better. That isn't how they are going to run the Bulls. The frustrating thing is the hypocrisy of the organization. Thibs played his guys too many minutes. Fred played Jimmy basically just as much. NBA is becoming more passey and stretchy and shooty, so we need Niko and McDermott and a coach to maximize their value. That isn't going to work so we'll build around Butler and Rondo, two ball dominant players that are average shooters at best. The Bulls want to get younger and more athletic. They sign 30 year old Rondo. There isn't really a clear direction, other than for Gar and Pax to make the 1st round of the playoffs and not get fired. 2017 plan. When they don't land the big fish, 2019 plan. We know the drill.
I think the decision of whether or not to rebuild with Jimmy has important strategic implications. If you rebuild without him you just blow the whole thing up and start trolling for lotto picks and hope one of them pops. However, that strategy's not as valuable with Butler around because the chances are Butler's contract would be up by the time said rookie could carry his weight as the two-headed dragon with Jimmy, assuming we get that person at all. Ie, you are stuck between "Win Now" and "Win Later." So the tactic that best aligns the time preference of the team with its best player is to try and get a big FA. I think it'sclear that free agents collude with the guys that are in their cohort, not guys that are just coming into the league. When choosing their team they don't give a damn about your high draft picks, just ask Philadelphia. Instead they want a strong org and the chance to play with their elite superfriends. If you can provide those two things then you at least have a shot, albeit a small one.
On what exactly do you base this? What notable head cases did Thibodeau masterfully handle as a head coach? Near as I recall, and it wasn't that long ago, Thibodeau was given a squad of good character players. Not a problem child in the lot. The next hard case he coaches will be his first.
Head cases is a strong term. Many of these guys are pre-Madonnas / ego maniacs / narcissists. Rondo is a NBA champion and very strong willed / reportedly basketball intelligent. We know Thibs could work with Rondo. We saw him and Doc do it and win a title with Boston. Winning titles. Something Rondo has done. Thibs too, as assistant head coach. GarPax hasn't. They seemingly won't anytime soon. Some situations that were handled well by Thibs, IMO. Boozer. Proud vet on big contract. He still got the most out of him while keeping him engaged while managing a probably better up and coming young player like Taj as he came of age. Very little drama here where there was potential some some. Also,an example of Thibs playing / getting the most out of a guy that didn't really fit his strong defensive style. Noah / Gasol year 1. Not the most productive basketball situation having both those guys on the roster and deserving heavy minutes, while also managing Taj and management favorite Niko, but then again, it was a GarPax roster, not a Thibs roster. Noah was coming off all NBA 1st team / DPOY and Gasol is an all-star / champion. Kept all of the guys playing well and engaged with a minimum of drama. Note the clusterfuck that ensued when Thibs left and Hoiberg took over, with Noah disputing agreeing coming off the bench and the Bulls failing to make the playoffs. Noah wants little to do with this GarPax organization anymore. Rose / Jimmy. Another situation that unraveled once Thibs was removed. There was grumbling, but the Bulls still were the #3 team in the East and a whisper away from knocking off a NBA Finals bound Lebron team. The following season a shitshow ensued under GarPaxBerg and suddenly the situation became "unworkable." It wasn't under Thibs. It was under GarPaxBerg. Just dealing and making the best out of Rose and Team Rose over the years as well. Like I said, head case is a strong and loaded term, but I always had concerns about Rose and what his motivations were post injuries / multiple rehabs. We know he was concerned about being feeling fresh at future "business meetings." Being a successful NBA coach is dealing with "head cases." Most players are to some degree. That's what guys like Phil Jackson and Thibs were excellent at, IMO. Rondo, like Pippen, has a incident under his belt on quitting on his team. Both are also key cogs of a NBA Champion. The job of the coach is to get the most out of the assets he's given. The PaxSkiles way is to label X% of your roster as "head cases" and simply cast them off. The Thibs way was to not be so stringent and get the most out of the guys you have, while also maintaining a laser focus on the "right way" to play. I'm not sure exactly what the GarPaxBerg way is. Other than lurking about the miserable NBA middle and treadmilling / trying to save job. I have little doubt that Thibs would be able to get the most out of Rondo. It would start with Rondo respecting him, which NBA players do with Thibs. http://sportsmockery.com/2014/11/rajon-rondo-still-loves-tom-thibodeau/
They do care about playing alongside all-NBA caliber players though. How do NBA Finals level teams acquire such talent? Warriors: Curry, Thompson - lotto picks Thunder: Durant, Westbrook - lotto picks Cavs (v1): Lebron - lotto picks Cavs (v2): Kyrie - lotto picks Spurs: Duncan, Robinson - lotto picks Heat: Wade - lotto picks Boston: PP - lotto pick Lakers: Kobe - lotto pick (i'm counting this, since it was basically trading Vlade for that pick) In all of these situations, there was elite NBA talent acquired via lotto, usually high lotto. Some were accentuated by some elite NBA talent joining forces. Lebron switched twice. Now Durant joining forces with the established strong org in Warriors. So prospective top notch FAs kind of do give a damn about your high draft picks, if you can convert on them. The winning teams do. Heck, the one time the Bulls made the ECFs in recent history was on the back of hitting on a high lotto pick. Also, given the Bulls can't lure the big FA fish and can't get one via trade, how will the Bulls acquire such a player, other than high lotto? None of this matters of course if the goal is to make the 1st round of the playoffs. That's a whole different situation, and the one the Bulls are following, IMO.
