So much for the profitable marriage between Fred Hoiberg and Rajon Rondo, eh?
First it was a 4th quarter benching. Then the entire second half. After the Bulls’ latest blowout loss to the Milwaukee Bucks over the weekend, Rondo’s demotion has become unquestionably clear. He got a DNP-Coach’s Decision in that one, losing his starting job to defensive specialist Michael Carter-Williams. That trend doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
Get Me Out Of Here
At this morning’s shootaround, Hoiberg confirmed that Carter-Williams will be the starting point guard again tonight when the Bulls host the Charlotte Hornets. Second year guard Jerian Grant will serve as the primary backup, ahead of Rondo in the rotation.
MCW will start tonight. Plan is still for Grant to be backup PG.
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) January 2, 2017
The former NBA champion can’t be thrilled about such a drastic demotion. Nonetheless, Rondo is handling the situation with the utmost professionalism, according to Hoiberg.
Hoiberg keeps praising Rondo's professionalism. And Rondo is smiling, working w/ Grant. But nothing's changed: Rondo wants out if permanent
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 2, 2017
As the Chicago Tribune‘s K.C. Johnson notes here, Rajon might be handling the situation with class but that doesn’t mean he’s content to stay. When asked by reporters if he’d request a trade if he remains out of the rotation, Rondo made himself perfectly clear: “absolutely.”
It’s hard to see the situation changing. Rondo has struggled to mesh well with his backcourt mate Dwyane Wade, and his shooting woes lead to major spacing issues when games slow down in the second half. But according to Johnson, Hoiberg hasn’t yet ruled out using Rondo with the team’s second unit.
Hoiberg also said he "potentially" would be comfortable using Rondo off bench but that scenario hasn't been discussed yet.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 2, 2017
The Bulls’ decision to make Rondo their #1 free agent target last summer now looks even more foolish than it did when it happened. There were questions about his attitude and whether or not he was the right fit for Hoiberg’s system. We haven’t hit the halfway point of the season, and he’s already served a suspension for lashing out at an assistant coach and now he’s been benched because his minutes aren’t helping the Bulls win games.
If Hoiberg and his bosses GarPax decide to stick with this decision (remember, it was John Paxson who said during a recent interview that the younger players on the roster needed more minutes) then keeping Rondo makes no sense. As ESPN’s Tim MacMahon noted earlier today, the Mavericks experienced a similar situation when things fell apart for Rondo in Dallas.
“Relevant to the Rajon Rondo situation unfolding in Chicago: The reason his mid-series departure from Dallas was mutual is because Mavs decision-makers didn’t think it was wise to keep him around the team after he’d been pulled from the rotation. And Rick Carlisle had made the call not to use Rondo against the Rockets anymore. All indications are that Rondo is handling his demotion professionally, but Bulls brass has to know that it has a potential ticking time bomb on its hands.” – Tim MacMahon
“Ticking time bomb” can’t be the situation Paxson, Gar Forman and Hoiberg hoped for when they brought Rondo in to run their offense. It’s something that they must handle as quickly and professionally as possible. The challenge, however, will be finding any teams interested in Rondo’s services if he’s demanding a trade before the deadline.
I never enjoy being the guy that says “I told you so” (wait, no, of course I do) but I and many other Bulls analysts saw this experiment failing when they signed Rondo last summer. Now GarPax must deal with the consequences of yet another poor organizational decision.
