Amidst the Cleveland Cavaliers’ struggles early on in the 2017-18 NBA season, it became apparent that veteran shooting guard Dwayne Wade was willing to play whatever role the team needed him too. Although the thought of seeing a 12-time All-Star come off the bench may seem a bit strange, it has since been reported that such conversations were held between Wade and Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg during their tumultuous 2016-17 NBA season.
Although Hoiberg had nothing but praise for his former player, his comments suggested that the three-time champ was a bit disgruntled by the thought of being relegated to a bench role. According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Wade essentially confirmed Hoiberg’s indication:
“I didn’t want to just come off the bench on a team that’s rebuilding. I would’ve been very unhappy in a basketball sense. And if basketball isn’t going right, nothing is going right. I didn’t want to put my family through that.”
It certainly makes sense why Wade did not want to be taken out of the starting lineup. He had paired up with superstar Jimmy Butler in his native Chicago the offseason prior with the hope of seriously contending in the playoffs. Needless to say, it was not long before the Bulls were largely forced to start their rebuilding process.
The veteran Wade now finds himself with the reigning Eastern Conference champs, along with some teammates that apparently were a bit unenthused by his arrival. Furthermore, his new role has helped pay huge dividends for the Cavs thus far on their current 11-game win streak.
