Bulls' Wade chides teammates on eve of Heat matchup
Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade will face his former team for the third time this season when the Miami Heat visit the United Center on Friday night.
Yet it is Wade's current team that has drawn his ire as of late. He wants to see a better effort from his teammates--- namely, everyone other than All-Star forward Jimmy Butler -- after the Bulls collapsed in the final minutes of the fourth quarter Wednesday to lose to the Atlanta Hawks.
"I don't know if I see enough guys who really want it," said Wade, who joined the Bulls as a free agent during the offseason. "Losses like (Wednesday's), it has to hurt them. I'm 35 years old, man. I've got three championships. It shouldn't hurt me more than it hurts these young guys. They have to want it."
It remains to be seen how the Bulls (23-24) will respond to Wade's tongue-lashing. They have a chance to climb back to .500 against the Heat (16-30), whom they already have beaten twice this season.
This time, however, Miami is playing much better. The Heat have won five games in a row after losing 30 of their first 41 contests. The winning streak has included impressive victories over the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets.
Guard Dion Waiters has hit some big shots during Miami's winning streak, but forward Okaro White has stolen many of the headlines. The rookie from Florida State signed a 10-day contract with the Heat on Jan. 17, and since then the team has posted a 5-0 record with no signs of slowing down.
White hit a go-ahead 3-pointer, grabbed a rebound and made a pair of free throws as the Heat held on for a 109-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. He is averaging 3.8 points and 3.0 rebounds while earning the nickname "Okar(5-)O" from the South Florida Sun Sentinel in reference to the streak.
"It's amazing," White told reporters after Miami's latest win. "It's amazing how quick your life can change in the matter of days, so hopefully it keeps going. We (need to) keep the wheel turning, like I said, and keep playing Miami Heat basketball."
To beat the Heat, the Bulls likely will lean on Butler and Wade to do the bulk of the scoring. Butler leads the team with 24.9 points per game, and Wade is second with 19.1 points per game. The rest of the lineup has provided inconsistent offense for coach Fred Hoiberg, who has shuffled point guards in recent weeks from Rajon Rondo to Michael Carter-Williams to Jerian Grant.
Whoever plays the point for the Bulls will be asked to defend Goran Dragic, who leads the Heat with 19.5 points per game. Miami center Hassan Whiteside is averaging 16.9 points per game and likely will be defended by 7-footer Robin Lopez of the Bulls. Whiteside is battling a sprained right ankle and managed only seven points in 20-plus minutes against the Nets.
Chicago is 14-10 at home despite its midweek meltdown against the Hawks. Meanwhile, Miami is 7-17 on the road, including a 105-100 loss in Chicago on Dec. 10.
