Wade Baldwin IV is a Must for the Chicago Bulls
With a blink of the eye, the Chicago Bulls fell from grace. But, an ascension can begin with the selection of Vanderbilt’s Wade Baldwin IV on Thursday night in Brooklyn.
The sudden change is a result of a fan base isn’t convinced the front office is making the right decisions to put this team on the path to be successful. The path to success takes you through whatever town LeBron James is playing for at the time, whether it was Miami a few years ago or Cleveland in the current day.
The other teams in the Eastern Conference either convince us somehow they are getting better or they’ve been tanking trying to collect as many lottery picks as possible.
Take the post-LeBron Miami Heat for example. They made moves to acquire Goran Dragic, moved a few pieces here and there and then ended up with Joe Johnson and that kept them competitive.
However, they too need a couple more tweaks to defeat LeBron.
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The same can be said about the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors. Both teams are putting themselves in position to be successful, but they’re not there just yet.
Then you have a team like the Philadelphia 76ers, who has been playing the lottery game for so long now and telling their fan base to “trust the process” and maybe, it is paying off with this coming season.
As for the Chicago Bulls’ route to success, it’s been interesting to say the least.
This team has had a rash of injuries, most notably Derrick Rose and his battle with staying healthy. This past season, it was Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and Jimmy Butler all finding themselves hurt throughout the season.
This previous season and the one upcoming looks to hold more drama than a daytime soap opera, though it has kept things interesting from a media perspective. It’s safe the say the fans weren’t and aren’t entertained.
With that being said, this front office owes it to this city to do the right thing, which is taking advantage of this upcoming draft by selecting Vanderbilt’s Wade Baldwin IV.
Related Story: 2016 NBA Draft profile - Vanderbilt's Wade Baldwin IV
Gar Forman and John Paxson stated in their presser at the end of the season their displeasure with this team and that changes will be made. They also stated that their jobs were secure and that Fred Hoiberg is their coach.
So, if you are on the “fire Gar/Pax and Fred train”, you might not want to hold your breath on that. However, changes could very well be made and there’s an opportunity that’s waiting for this team.
The Bulls could make some trades to move up in the draft to try to obtained the “beloved” Kris Dunn, or they could really get the steal of the draft in Wade Baldwin IV, or as he is sometimes referred to as: “WB-IV”.
Baldwin stands about 6’4″ with a 6’11” wingspan, which is rather long. His upper body is solid. Baldwin’s a really big guy and can help out on the defensive end, which the Bulls somehow lost sight of, and his offensive presence is beneficial as well. He’s a guard and that’s something the Bulls really need, not only for a possible back up situation initially, but possibly a future started pending Derrick Rose’s free agency situation.
The Bulls need someone that can come off the bench behind Rose and if Rose isn’t the Bulls franchise player anymore after his contract is up next summer, this guard position will need to be filled.
Getting Wade Baldwin IV now can fix the “now” and can be an insurance policy for the future.
Baring there aren’t any trades, the Bulls need a point guard that can step up when Derrick Rose is on the bench. Also, Hoiberg needs a point guard that can play in his up-tempo system, which he looks to implement more of in his second year.
Jimmy Butler, though he’s great as what he does, isn’t a point guard and never should be one. So, the Bulls need to address these problems and Wade Baldwin IV is the answer.
When the Bulls need that offensive push during those scoreless moments, WB-IV’s mid-range game can be that burst the Bulls need at those critical moments. WB-IV can knock down open shots and on the defensive end his wingspan makes him a treat to anyone he’s defending. Baldwin would check off multiple boxes and solve some of the problems the Bulls face.
It’s also important to note that Baldwin wants to be in Chicago if given the opportunity. He’s been living here for some time now and is already acclimated with the city. If you talk to people close to Baldwin, they’ll tell you how much he loves it here and how much of an asset he will be for this organization.
This is important because you want a guy that wants to be here. You want a player that is taking the initiative to learn the system because that shows how hungry of a player he is.
Those are all the things Wade Baldwin IV is doing.
Now, don’t take me out of context. I’m not saying that Wade Baldwin IV is the next Michael Jordan and will save the Chicago Bulls from imploding. That would be misguided, deceiving, a misrepresentation and I would be leading you, the reader, astray.
Baldwin will be an incoming rookie learning the ropes and it will take some time for adjustment. However, his physical physique, coped with his phenomenal game play can address many of the issues that the Bulls have.
Next: FanSided's 2016 NBA Mock Draft: The Bulls' pick at No. 14
The Bulls don’t have to possibly trade up for him. He could very well be available at the 14th spot. Baldwin is someone the Bulls should definitely push for because the rewards outweigh the risk.