Is Rondo's time with Bulls really done?

A couple questions hang above the Bulls right now: Will Rajon Rondo play again and are the Bulls better off with him on the bench? Associated Press

While the Bulls continued their regular-season mastery of the Cleveland Cavaliers -- 5-1 in the last six games -- a couple of questions should be addressed.

Mainly, will Rajon Rondo ever play for the Bulls again and are they a better team with Rondo on the bench?

First of all, let's start with a hypothesis: He wasn't playing well, but this really isn't about Rondo. Don't forget, Bobby Portis and Isaiah Canaan have also disappeared onto the Bulls bench in recent games. For two seasons, coach Fred Hoiberg has tried to impose an up-tempo style and he believes Michael Carter-Williams might be the point guard who can finally get it done.

If Carter-Williams was still sidelined by injuries, as he was for 27 games this season, Rondo would still be the starter.

It doesn't look like Hoiberg has thought very hard about sending Rondo into a game. The veteran point guard hasn't played in the last 3½ contests and every time Hoiberg is asked about his plans, he responds with a vague, "We'll see how it plays out."

So yeah, it looks like Rondo might be done, but what happens if Carter-Williams suffers another injury and is out an extended period? Are the Bulls going to bring up Will Bynum from the Windy City Bulls to play point guard? Anything's possible, but if there's an injury, chances are Rondo will get another shot.

It's an awkward situation, since the Bulls chased Rondo as a free agent last summer and he was billed as one of the three main guys on a revamped roster, along with Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler. At the same time, when the Bulls signed Rondo, they probably didn't know they'd be trading Tony Snell to Milwaukee for Carter-Williams a week before the season opener.

Rondo isn't a future hall of famer like Wade. He's coming off two disappointing runs in Dallas and Sacramento, and knows this could be his last chance in the NBA. It's in Rondo's best interest to wait this out and at least appear to take it well.

There's an outside chance the Bulls could use Rondo to gain an asset. His contract for next season is worth $13.4 million, but only $3 million of that is guaranteed. In theory, a team that wants to clear salary from its payroll might be interested in trading for Rondo, knowing they can buy him out and create about $10 million in cap space.

This probably won't happen, though, because it's unlikely the Bulls would be interested in another team's discarded player. But you never know. Rasheed Wallace was traded to Detroit for next to nothing in 2004 and helped the Pistons win a championship.

The more likely scenario is the Bulls let Rondo's contract lapse and save the cap space for themselves. If they don't want him around, he'll probably just be sent home.

Part two of this question asked whether the Bulls are better with Carter-Williams starting at point guard. It's early, but the returns are positive.

In some ways, Rondo and Carter-Williams are similar. Neither are good outside shooters and both are capable of pushing the pace and getting into the lane. Carter-Williams will probably never match Rondo in volume of assists.

But Carter-Williams is younger and taller. His energy didn't help at the start of Wednesday's game at Cleveland, when the Bulls fell behind 15-2. But he was much better in the third quarter when the Bulls took command and he finished with 13 points.

In the Bulls' two victories of 2017, against Charlotte and Cleveland, Carter-Williams made his presence felt defensively. At the 2013 pre-draft camp, he measured nearly 6-foot-6. His wingspan isn't outrageous, but he turned in a 41-inch vertical leap as a draft prospect. Clearly, he's an impressive athlete and since joining the Bulls, he's deflected shots and passes frequently, which helps ignite the fast break.

Rondo seems to be popular with teammates, but he's had a sullen, quiet demeanor since his days in Boston. Carter-Williams' personality is a little unusual for an NBA player in that he's very friendly and outgoing. Watch how many times he offers his hand to help an opposing player off the ground. That doesn't necessarily mean Carter-Williams' personality is better for the Bulls, but it is different.

Carter-Williams' outside shooting has been mostly cringe-worthy. He's gone 2-for-16 from 3-point range since returning from the injuries and missed the rim a few times. Yet somehow, the Bulls are enjoying a 3-point revival.

In the three games Carter-Williams started, the Bulls went 30-for-80 from 3-point land (37.5 percent). In the first three games of the regular season, before Carter-Williams went down with wrist and knee injuries, the Bulls were 31-for-73 from behind the arc (42.5 percent).

In between, from Nov. 1 through Dec. 30, a span of 30 games, the Bulls shot 28.9 percent from 3-point range, easily the worst in the league. Granted, Doug McDermott missed a chunk of those games with a concussion, but the difference is drastic.

Why is that? Is the ball moving better when Carter-Williams is on the floor or are the Bulls getting down the court faster and finding open looks before the defense gets set? Both explanations seem plausible.

The focus has been on Rondo, but Hoiberg wants to see if the team runs better with Carter-Williams at the point and whether Jerian Grant, a better scorer than distributor, can add some offensive punch off the bench.

The sample size is small so far, but the Bulls' next two home games are against Toronto and Oklahoma City, so this is as good a time as any to find out if this team really has gotten better.

All-star voting released:

The NBA released the first installment of all-star voting returns Thursday and Dwyane Wade is in line to be a starter, while Jimmy Butler has some ground to make up.

Wade ranks second in the East backcourt behind Cleveland's Kyrie Irving. Toronto's DeMar DeRozan is in third place, about 25,000 votes behind Wade. Boston's Isaiah Thomas is fourth.

In the frontcourt, LeBron James, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Cleveland's Kevin Love are the top three. Philadelphia's Joel Embiid is fourth and New York's Carmelo Anthony is fifth. Butler is sixth with about 189,000 votes.

The leaders in the West are Steph Curry, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Golden State center Zaza Pachulia.

Clearly, online voting has made it easier for foreign fans to cast their ballots.

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