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PAE Roundtable: The Chicago Bulls’ Summer

By Michael Whitlow

Jul 18, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Denzel Valentine (45) holds the NBA Summer League championship trophy after helping Chicago defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 84-82 in overtime at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 18, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Denzel Valentine (45) holds the NBA Summer League championship trophy after helping Chicago defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 84-82 in overtime at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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Chicago Bulls guards Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade.
Apr 7, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) dribbles the ball as Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) defends during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Can the “Three Alphas” coexist this season?

MW: During his first talk with the media after signing with the Bulls, Rajon Rondo dubbed he, Wade and Butler the “three alphas”. The numbers don’t add up, but can the trio make things work this season?

BR: No. It’s blunt, but unless all three are 100 percent committed to making it work, it is hard to envision Butler, Rondo and Wade working well together. Butler wants to handle the ball. The Bulls were very good when he was the lone ball-dominate force last season – albeit, in a smallish sample size. This was going to be his team next season, until it wasn’t.

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    • Rondo has said all the right things. He made it clear that the Bulls are Butler’s team. But, he needs the ball all of the time to be effective. He hasn’t proven he can do much else in the last few years but rack up assists in losing campaigns.

    Wade is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer who is coming off a good season and an even better postseason. He is not ready to completely relinquish the spotlight to Butler. Why would he be? Wade was able to play a secondary role behind LeBron James during their run of four straight NBA Finals appearances, but this is far from the same situation.

    Void of championship expectations, it will be up to the “Three Alphas” to try and coexist. But hey, crazier things have happened. Just don’t bet on it looking pretty, especially not right away.

    MP: I think the “Three Alphas” system will work out just fine. Butler has had the summer to learn from his previous leadership mistakes (he admitted on ESPN that he made mistakes and that he plans to learn from them) and I expect him to come back as a good leader. Rondo and Wade also have alpha mentalities, but Rondo has repeatably said that Chicago is “Jimmy’s team,” and I don’t expect Wade to cause any issues.

    DC: Yes. But not as teammates in the sport of basketball. If we’re talking some type of Arnold Schwarzenegger movie such as The Running Man or Predator, these guys would probably be just fine. Sadly, they just play basketball and Predator probably isn’t real.

    SC: A lot of factors go into this “Big 3” of Butler, Wade and Rondo. If healthy, I think they can be a 5 or 6-seed in the East when it’s all said and done. The key is the buy in from all three to focus on winning and being leaders in the locker room. Rondo won the Celtics and knows what it takes to win. Wade is a future Hall of Famer who can mentor Butler a lot more ways than we think. If nothing else, this is a win from a marketing and ‘hype’ standpoint.

    In my opinion, the Bulls front office “retooled” without truly gutting this roster. Both Rondo and Wade are on short-term deals, keeping the excitement in Chicago, all the while trying to keep cap space for next summer’s big free agents.

    Next: Who breaks out for the Bulls among the young guys this season?

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