Could the Three Alphas be coming to an end? Could this be the start of Team Banana Boat?
The Chicago Bulls have struggled this season after much fanfare to begin the year. Now at 23-24, they are clinging on for dear life to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
After the latest loss, Dwyane Wade was the first to be vocal about the Bulls’ struggles. Buckle up:
Wade: "Everyone don't care enough. You got to care enough, man. It's got to mean that much to you to want to win."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 26, 2017
Wade: "I don't know what happened. I don't know how you fix it. It just doesn't mean enough … it pisses me off."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 26, 2017
Wade, when asked if it was a heart issue for his team: "I don't know. I've never had that problem. They have to figure that out."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 26, 2017
Wade: "I'm not at home with people but I don't know if I see enough guys who really, really want it."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 26, 2017
Wade: "I'm 35 years old, man. I've got three championships. It shouldn't hurt me more than it hurts these young guys. They have to want it."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 26, 2017
Wade: "It has to change it has to hurt inside to lose games like this. This s*** should f****** hurt."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 26, 2017
Wade: "I can look at Jimmy and say Jimmy's doing his job. Jimmy can look at me and say Dwyane's doing his job."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 26, 2017
Wade (cont) "I don't know if we can keep going down the line (of the roster) and be able to say that."
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 26, 2017
Okay but other than that…
Wade wasn’t the only one with that message. Jimmy Butler had a similar response:
As frustrated as Wade and Butler have been all year. Both called out teammates as a whole — wondering if they care enough.
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 26, 2017
This is turning into a disaster before our eyes. Dwyane Wade can opt out of his deal this season and has spoken about the team’s success impacting that decision. While it would save the Bulls plenty of money, losing one of the few good players on the team who has also been a leader after one year is not a good look.
The bad news is, there doesn’t appear to be any change coming in the near future.
