Playing in his hometown of Chicago was one of the main reasons Dwyane Wade decided to make a drastic change and leave the Miami Heat for the Bulls this past offseason. While playing in his hometown has always been a dream of Wade's, he is staying realistic and doesn't envision himself bringing a championship to Chicago this season.
He's not disparaging the Bulls. Wade believes that the Bulls can be a great team in the East but he wants the focus to be on the playoffs not the Finals.
Wade said Bulls' focus has to be on improving day-to-day to point they're playoff team again. Called goal of winning title "unrealistic."
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) October 11, 2016
Wade scoffed at "championship" expectations: "Coming off where you don't make the playoffs, your goal can't be winning a championship"
— Vincent Goodwill (@vgoodwill) October 11, 2016
The Bulls do have some talent with Wade, Rajon Rondo and Jimmy Butler and some nice ancillary pieces in Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic. But Chicago will likely be fighting for a second-tier playoff spot as the Cavaliers, Raptors, Celtics and perhaps even the Pacers and Pistons will be near the top of the East.
Setting realistic goals will be important for the Bulls this season, as they didn't even make the playoffs last season in coach Fred Hoiberg's first year. As Wade says, not having to live up to unfair championship aspirations could help the Bulls in the long run. They can focus on making the playoffs this season and then continually build their team until they are one of the upper-echelon Eastern teams again. It is a process but with smart players like Wade setting the standard, the Bulls are not rushing their quasi-rebuild.
