Wade leads the way as Chicago Bulls beat Orlando
With the Chicago Bulls in playoff position but hovering near .500 all season, Dwyane Wade was asked if he's concerned about the team's lack of progress.
"I'm 35. I do get concerned.," he told reporters after Tuesday's shootaround in Orlando, Florida. " Of course."
All Wade really said was he wishes the Bulls were doing better. If the outlook doesn't seem promising this summer, he can opt out of the second year of his contract and become a free agent. But that's not breaking news.
Here's one thing working in Wade's favor. The Bulls again showed how close they are to being a pretty good team.
Doug McDermott found his 3-point touch, Wade got going late, and the Bulls defeated Orlando 100-92 on Tuesday night at the Amway Center. When the Bulls get outside shooting or help from the bench, they usually fare well.
The win brought the Bulls back to .500 at 23-23. They are tied with Indiana for seventh place in the East, a half-game behind sixth-place Charlotte.
Wade talked about how he's not desperate to win a title, since he won three in Miami. But he also wants to finish his career on a good note.
"I can't play this game forever," Wade said, according to espn.com. "I just turned 35 and I have a number in my head how long I want to play. At the end of the day you want to be in a situation where it's a competitor situation, whatever the case may be.
"It's tough in this league as well because a lot of that also depends on how much money you're willing to make. It depends on what city you're willing to be in. So it's a lot of variables to that, but no question about it."
If he stays with the Bulls, Wade is due to make $23.8 million next season, and there's no guarantee he will get that much if he hits the open market. Also, he just moved his family from Miami to Chicago, enrolling his son and nephew as freshmen at Mt. Carmel High School.
It's probably safe to say Wade isn't eager to change teams or cities again. If the Bulls decide to build around the nucleus of Wade and Jimmy Butler, he seems more likely to stay than leave.
"I'll definitely take a look at it," he said. "I take my career seriously and where I am and where I want to be. And I will do the same thing this summer."
Wade took over Tuesday's game early in the fourth quarter while Butler was still taking a rest on the bench.
First, Wade hit a 3-pointer, then found Cristiano Felicio for a lob dunk and added a runner for a quick 7-2 run that put the Bulls ahead 88-79 with 7:22 left.
After an Orlando miss, Wade missed a jumper off a pick-and-roll, but Felicio rolled right to the rim for an easy tip-in. When Butler returned, he got a steal and lay-in to make it 92-80.
Wade led the Bulls with 21 points, while Butler added 20. McDermott hit 4 of 6 shots from 3-point range for 12 points, and Felicio recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.
Coach Fred Hoiberg changed the starting lineup, sending out Jerian Grant instead of Michael Carter-Williams, who didn't play at all Tuesday. Rajon Rondo continued to work with the second unit, and Hoiberg continued to go without a point guard down the stretch, using Wade and Butler as the ballhandlers.
The Bulls won, so you could say the lineup switch worked. Grant finished with 7 points and no assists. Carter-Williams doesn't get many assists either. His strength is defense, while teams don't respect his outside shot.
Grant, at least, is a 3-point threat. After the game, Hoiberg said he expects Grant to start again Wednesday against Atlanta.
Wade talked about wanting to see improvement from the Bulls. There have been some good performances, but it hasn't been there consistently.
"I think you see certain teams throughout a year can get better," Wade said. "(Other teams), you can tell that it's just who they are. I've been on both. I've been on teams that it's just who you are and you deal with it for the whole year. And some teams you get better as the years go on. Right now we are who we are."
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Scouting report
Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks at the United Center, 7 p.m. Wednesday
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WLS 890-AM
Outlook: The Hawks have been the Bulls' nemesis, winning six straight in the series, including twice in Atlanta earlier this season. Ex-Bulls SF Thabo Sefolosha has been haunting his old team. He's averaging 15 points against the Bulls this year, twice his season average. PF Paul Millsap (17.9 ppg) and PG Dennis Schroder (17.5 ppg) share the lead role for the Hawks, who have won 11 of their last 14. C Dwight Howard ranks fourth in the league with 12.9 rebounds per game. Schroder led the Hawks with 25 points Friday in Atlanta when the Bulls trailed by 30 for much of the night before a fourth-quarter rally made the final 102-93.
Next: Miami Heat at United Center, 7 p.m. Friday
- Mike McGraw