The 2016-17 Chicago Bulls are probably the first team in NBA history to endure a total meltdown on Instagram, and later emerge stronger from it. Back on January 26th, Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo made comments that at the time seemed like they would effectively seal his exit from club.
Rondo went thermonuclear on his official Instagram account, making comments in response to Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade that, back then, seemed utterly impossible to walk back.
Sure, we all saw the friction with Rondo coming before the season began, given his past history, but no one really expected a scorched Earth action like what occurred that day.
And yet the team carried on, made the playoffs, and are now up 2-0 as the #8 seed over #1 seed Boston. The Bulls won games one and two on the road to boot! Chicago is killing Boston on the boards and Rajon Rondo was the hero Tuesday night.
“It’s like [Boston is] playing Moses Malone out there,” said Charles Barkley. “[The Bulls are] just shooting it, rebounding it, and laying it back in… They’re getting every offensive rebound.” –
“You’re getting 2008 flashback Rajon Rondo,” said Analyst Kevin McHale.
“He’s active, his head’s up, he’s attacking… Just controlling the game totally with his drive, passing, finishing around the basket. Really impressive how bouncy and quick he looks.”
McHale thought Rondo was done long before this season of tumult.
“I kind of thought his career was over when he left the Mavericks, really just a tumultuous stay there,” he said.
“He went to Sacramento and kind of resurrected himself. But this right now is vintage Rajon Rondo, doing everything for his team.”
No one saw this coming. Either Boston is the worst top seed in NBA Eastern conference history, or Chicago has just been…no one knows what the hell is going on right now, and anyone who claims they can make sense of it, is just bloviating.
Even before the Instagram, Rajon Rondo conveyed just how unsettled he was, causing problems in Chicago since mid December, eventually having to be benched for a long period of time.
https://twitter.com/ChiSportUpdates/status/824757108939878400
Rajon Rondo wrote in the caption of his IG posting 1-26-17:
“My vets would never go to the media. They would come to the team. My vets didn’t pick and choose when they wanted to bring it. They brought it every time they stepped in the gym whether it was practice or a game. They didn’t take days off.”
“My vets didn’t care about their numbers. My vets played for the team. When we lost, they wouldn’t blame us. They took responsibility and got in the gym. They showed the young guys what it meant to work. Even in Boston when we had the best record in the league, if we lost a game, you could hear a pin drop on the bus. They showed us the seriousness of the game.”
“My vets didn’t have an influence on the coaching staff. They couldn’t change the plan because it didn’t work for them. I played under one of the greatest coaches, and he held everyone accountable. It takes 1-15 to win. When you isolate everyone, you can’t win consistently. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a bad teammate. My goal is to pass what I learned along. The young guys work. They show up. They don’t deserve blame. If anything is questionable, it’s the leadership.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times and NBC Chicago.com, contributes to Chicago Tribune.com, Bold, WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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