National Basketball Association

Chicago Bulls: Dwyane Wade Staying Realistic, Keeping It Real

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

While Dwyane Wade may be ready to start a new chapter with the Chicago Bulls, he is still keeping it real when it comes to his expectations for 2016-17.

Dwyane Wade shocked the entirety of the NBA this summer, when he announced his decision to leave the Miami Heat for the Chicago Bulls and left both fan bases completely torn.

While some members of Heat Nation were angry with him, others wished him nothing but the best. Bulls fans too were split on whether to welcome the great with open arms, or be upset with the organization for giving a large chunk of their money to a veteran.

However, there was one thing everyone seemed to agree on: leaving Miami for Chicago would drastically lessen Wade’s chances of winning another championship.

Coming off of a rocky 2014-15, the Heat were one game short of the Eastern Conference Finals last year. And despite not being able to sign Kevin Durant and Chris Bosh‘s health setback, big man Hassan Whiteside did decide to stick around. Take that, combined with the only improving talent of rookies Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson, along with Goran Dragic returning to prime form as well, and Wade would’ve had quite a supporting cast going into 2016-17.

Instead, he walked into a different situation — one that involves the likes of a team not having even made the playoffs last season, a troubled front office, a head coach just getting his footing in the league, and a newly assembled roster led by a guy previously at the center of locker room drama.

It should not be hard to see why Bulls and Heat fans were left scratching their heads.

But Wade is not blind to that. Nor does he disagree.

In fact, he knows better than to pretend his focus right now should be going after a ring.

“When you’re coming off a season where as an organization you don’t make the playoffs, your goal can’t be winning a championship. Your goal has to be day-to-day making steps to improve yourself so you can get to a point where you’re a playoff team. And then you go from there. I’m not going to put a ceiling on us. But we’re not thinking long-term right now with so many new guys. We’re in the moment.”

That sounds about right.

There is no doubt that the organization made the right moves to ensure they are leaps and bounds better than the situation they found themselves in last year. Starting with moving Derrick Rose (especially given his current legal situation) to sealing the deal with Wade, this summer was huge for Chicago. And it was not necessarily all about blockbuster changes either.

For example, the Bulls certainly got things right by bringing aboard Spencer Dinwiddie. And trusting in Taj Gibson.

Yet some are unhappy with Wade’s comments, labeling him negative, a debbie-downer. As if they themselves expected Chicago to go after the title come this season.

After being in the league for 13 years, this 34-year-old certainly knows a thing or two about how this industry works. And although he may have played for the same franchise for the entirety of his career until now, he has had to go through the same ups and downs as anyone else.

From winning his first championship in 2006, to being in a slump again till the formation of Miami’s Big Three, to once more finding himself struggling to keep his team afloat in 2014-15, Wade understands the reality of his new situation.

So he is simply keeping it real.

That is something fans should be thankful for, because gone are the days of false hope and empty promises. They’ve been replaced instead with attainable goals, motivated by hard work.

The Bulls certainly have a lot to look forward to this year, including Wade’s candor.