In Close Loss, Bulls 'Miss' The Suspended Rajon Rondo
By Cody Westerlund--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Shortly after the Bulls announced Monday morning that starting point guard Rajon Rondo would be suspended for the evening's game following an incident Saturday in which he had a heated verbal altercation with an assistant coach, coach Fred Hoiberg proffered the company line.
The Bulls were past the issue already, Hoiberg said. So there really wasn't much left to publicly address.
The only problem was the game hadn't yet been played, so the Bulls hadn't quite put all their issues in the rearview mirror.
In a reminder that they don't boast much margin for error, the Bulls fell 112-110 to the Blazers at the United Center, their third defeat in their last four games. There were a handful of reasons for the loss, notably an ugly second quarter in which Chicago was bad on defense and outscored 36-25, but the absence of Rondo was magnified on this night by the performance of his replacements.
Already down two rotation players before Rondo's blow-up, the Bulls started second-year pro Jerian Grant at point guard. He scored five points on 1-of-7 shooting in 23-plus minutes. Thrust into a bigger role, rookie guard Denzel Valentine scored two points on 1-of-6 shooting in 22 minutes. Reserve guard Isaiah Canaan scored 10 points but shot just 4-of-11.
"He's obviously very important with what we do in this building," Hoiberg said of Rondo. "He's a guy that really gets us out and establishes the tempo for our team, especially in the fourth quarter. So obviously he's important for what we do. That's not the reason we lost the game."
Still, the Bulls couldn't deny that they missed Rondo. The Blazers' talented backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum combined for 54 points, and All-Star wing Jimmy Butler made the decision himself at halftime to guard Lillard more in the second half. While that move helped hold Lillard to 4-of-12 shooting after the break, the assignment may have worn Butler out a bit too. He was 1-of-4 from the field in the fourth quarter on a night he scored 26 points.
While Rondo has been inconsistent defensively in Chicago, Dwyane Wade emphasized that he's been the one to set the tone.
"He kind of starts everything for us," said Wade, who scored a game-high 34 points. "He kind of determines how the defensive pressure is going to go for us. Offensively, we didn't have a problem scoring the basketball, but I think defensively, we really missed his ability to get after guys and his ability to rebound the ball.
"Yeah, we miss him. He's a big part of what we do."
Rondo's one-game suspension was the first sign of locker room drama for a Bulls team that was in part done in by internal strife in a disappointing 2015-'16 season. For months now, the Bulls have praised Rondo's leadership, and they did so again Monday in his absence.
"We'll welcome him back tomorrow, tonight when we see him on the plane," Wade said late Monday.
"Let's play. Our job is to say, 'Let's go, let's play.' Our job is to win the game tomorrow. This is about basketball."
The Bulls believe this outburst from the 10-year veteran Rondo – who's been disciplined via a suspension seven times in his NBA career – will be a blip on the radar. Regardless of what it turns out to be, it did cost them Monday.
Now it's really time to move on, which Butler believes they can do. Rondo will be on the court when the Bulls (11-9) are on the road to face the Pistons (11-11) on Tuesday night.
"This is the NBA, that's what's asked of you," Butler said in regards to moving forward. "He's a professional. He wants this team, this organization, these guys to be successful. And he's a winner. He's coming in with the same mentality. I know he was working out today, I can tell you that, to stay in a rhythm, in a groove. We need you. He knows that. We'll be glad to see his face on the plane."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and coversthe Bulls. He's also the co-host of the @LockedOnBulls podcast, which you can subscribe to on iTunes and Stitcher. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.