Question from a Pacers fan

Joined:
Aug 29, 2013
Posts:
236
Liked Posts:
30
Isiah Thomas grew up in Chicago and played his entire 13-year career with the hated Pistons. He is essentially not allowed back.

Dwyane Wade grew up in Chicago and spent the first 13 years of his NBA career with the hated Heat. He was welcomed back with open arms.

The question I pose for all Chicagoans everywhere - You love Wade and hate Thomas??? What am I missing here?

As a Pacers fan, I still consider Miami to be our biggest rival even though LeBron isn't there anymore, so obviously I don't have too high an opinion about Wade. Really, my animosity towards the Heat actually dates back to the brawl era, considering they caught all the breaks in this league simply because they play in a glamour city and have employed glamour players, namely Wade and Shaq.

To me, Wade was still a Miami player wearing a Bulls jersey this season, and I honestly don't have many answers for why Bulls fans don't feel the same way.
 

Crystallas

Three if by air
Staff member
Donator
Joined:
Jun 25, 2010
Posts:
19,890
Liked Posts:
9,618
Location:
Next to the beef gristle mill
My favorite teams
  1. Chicago Bulls
Two issues.

Firstly, Isiah Thomas is not allowed back? He has been back, has family here, has been at the UC as an exec with many teams. He's been to HS games and other events here. Unless he sold it in the last few years, he owns a condo in the city. So I'm not sure what you mean by "not allowed back". If you mean with the Bulls, well, he was never a Bull, so saying the word back implies that you don't mean the Bulls. Anyways, he's one of the few people who is a worse NBA exec than what we have. Maybe even worse as a coach. His record as a non-player makes him unwelcome in the organization more than rivalry.

As far as Dywane.

Wade is not loved. Most people here don't like Wade for trying to publicly sabotage the teams reputation for loyalty, when it was no worse than the rest of the league. Wade was also part of what would be collusion if any non-player, league member participated. Some people were his fan before all of that, some from HS days and maybe they are loyal people. But to say Wade is accepted as a Bull by most Bulls fans is not accurate. The emotional interviews about "coming home" and the public WS bet with Bran that had Wade backing the Cubs bought some brownie points.

A lot of Chicagoans still hate Wade. It's not binary. Just because someone is not hated, doesn't mean they are loved and vice versa. Wade is tolerated because this is a period in the franchise history where the President/Vice President are more hated than any player by the fans, and go figure, they sign Wade and Rondo! Logical fans are blaming Gar and Pax for that instead. Chicago fans are classy when we want to be,

But that is also not an apples:apples comparison. Zeke wasn't just a rival or a player that beat us, he was downright dirty. The difference between Isiah and what most would say is the logical comparison from that rivalry, Rodman... Both had opportunities to pursue forgiveness with the organization at different points. The whole story isn't public, but enough pieces of the puzzle have been let out about how downright disrespectful Thomas was. Whereas Rodman was far more theater than genuine with his bad-boy image.

Did all of that fall on Isiah acting alone? Definitely not, because there is a lot of shared blame there. But most did, and more than just Bulls organization members and fans took issue with him. The long held belief is that Jordan and Pippen kept him off the Dream Team. But others also didn't want to play on the Dream Team. Just a never ending feud and it was let unresolved. He did give us the Eddy Curry trade (which we kind of squandered, but still a better deal for us by far).

As far as I know, there is only one athlete that was socially banned from the city just for being who they are, and that was Chick for the Black Sox scandal. Yes, not a native Chicagoan, but I really can't think of anyone. Even John Starks, while not entirely welcomed INSIDE the franchise, is kind of seen as a fierce competitor with a lot of respect now that everything is said and done.
 
Last edited:

Gustavus Adolphus

?‍♂️?
Donator
CCS Hall of Fame '20
Joined:
Jun 15, 2010
Posts:
44,297
Liked Posts:
38,765
My favorite teams
  1. Chicago White Sox
  1. Chicago Bulls
  1. Chicago Bears
  1. Nebraska Cornhuskers
  2. Villanova Wildcats
I grew up with Wade. He's an alright guy.
 

Axl Rose

and I knew the silence of the world
Joined:
Oct 11, 2011
Posts:
12,138
Liked Posts:
4,431
Location:
a distant shoreline
Wade was never hated as much as Isiah. also now that the honeymoon period is over, i wouldn't say Wade is loved. i'd say the majority is hoping he opts out and goes back to Miami.
 

Bear Pride

Bears Gonna Shock the World!
Joined:
Aug 28, 2012
Posts:
10,616
Liked Posts:
3,075
Isiah Thomas grew up in Chicago and played his entire 13-year career with the hated Pistons. He is essentially not allowed back.

Dwyane Wade grew up in Chicago and spent the first 13 years of his NBA career with the hated Heat. He was welcomed back with open arms.

The question I pose for all Chicagoans everywhere - You love Wade and hate Thomas??? What am I missing here?

As a Pacers fan, I still consider Miami to be our biggest rival even though LeBron isn't there anymore, so obviously I don't have too high an opinion about Wade. Really, my animosity towards the Heat actually dates back to the brawl era, considering they caught all the breaks in this league simply because they play in a glamour city and have employed glamour players, namely Wade and Shaq.

To me, Wade was still a Miami player wearing a Bulls jersey this season, and I honestly don't have many answers for why Bulls fans don't feel the same way.

Seriously? How about Isiah trying to black ball MJ in the All Star game in MJ's rookie year? How about all the dirty play from the Isiah led Pistons when they brutalized MJ with the Jordan rules? How about Isiah and the other Pistons walking off the court before the game was over when the Bulls finally beat them in the playoffs? Seriously? MJ threatened to NOT play for the Dream team if Isiah made the team? Seriously?
 

Raskolnikov

CCS Donator
Donator
Joined:
Aug 23, 2012
Posts:
22,240
Liked Posts:
7,739
Location:
Enemy Territory via southern C
Understand the state of the franchise also isn't going to leave fans choosy about which max player wants to come here. Open arms. Beggars.
 
Joined:
Aug 29, 2013
Posts:
236
Liked Posts:
30
Seriously? How about Isiah trying to black ball MJ in the All Star game in MJ's rookie year? How about all the dirty play from the Isiah led Pistons when they brutalized MJ with the Jordan rules? How about Isiah and the other Pistons walking off the court before the game was over when the Bulls finally beat them in the playoffs? Seriously? MJ threatened to NOT play for the Dream team if Isiah made the team? Seriously?

And Wade sabotaged the rest of the league, including the Bulls, during the Big Three era with his collusion tactics. What's your point?

The situation he had during his 13 years in Miami doesn't grow on trees. He's all too accustomed to getting his way. And once he doesn't get his way in Chicago, he publicly bitches about his teammates. Some leader you guys got.

It's no coincidence that the Bulls are making a strong playoff push now that Wade is out. Rondo and Butler are showing great chemistry in the starting lineup together without Wade.
 

Raskolnikov

CCS Donator
Donator
Joined:
Aug 23, 2012
Posts:
22,240
Liked Posts:
7,739
Location:
Enemy Territory via southern C
Funny how this team mismanaged Niko all the way to the end. Doesn't sound like he gets any kind of meaningful direction from team or staff.


Green Light Niko did absolutley nothing for the Bulls present or future (although he is on a good clip to help us miss the playoffs by a single game just as we thought we had lost all possible hope)...

will walk for nothing to a near max deal this off-season. LOL at all the trade discussions these fucks hung up on. The failure to look at a roster in fall and put tradeable assets in positions to succeed.

Just a total shit show of a season idicative of all the ways this management team is clueless to what is happening in this league.
 

clonetrooper264

Retired Bandwagon Mod
Staff member
Donator
Joined:
Apr 11, 2009
Posts:
23,316
Liked Posts:
7,394
My favorite teams
  1. Chicago Cubs
  1. Chicago Bulls
  2. Golden State Warriors
  1. Chicago Bears
  1. Chicago Blackhawks
I'm sure Niko can be a valuable role player somewhere...that somewhere is just not here
 

RoseMVP1

Well-known member
Joined:
Jul 25, 2012
Posts:
3,966
Liked Posts:
989
From everything I read, the Bulls tried trading Niko and nobody wanted him. I'm going to guess the Nets, or some other ass team, will throw a huge offer at him. I just hope the Bulls aren't stupid enough to match.
 

Bear Pride

Bears Gonna Shock the World!
Joined:
Aug 28, 2012
Posts:
10,616
Liked Posts:
3,075
And Wade sabotaged the rest of the league, including the Bulls, during the Big Three era with his collusion tactics. What's your point?

The situation he had during his 13 years in Miami doesn't grow on trees. He's all too accustomed to getting his way. And once he doesn't get his way in Chicago, he publicly bitches about his teammates. Some leader you guys got.

It's no coincidence that the Bulls are making a strong playoff push now that Wade is out. Rondo and Butler are showing great chemistry in the starting lineup together without Wade.

Spoken like a true Indiana fan .... however, I don't hold it against you. You just have no clue of what you are talking about!
 

Starion

CCS Donator
Donator
Joined:
Aug 29, 2012
Posts:
4,220
Liked Posts:
2,669
Location:
Fort Myers, FL
No hate for Wade, but more of a general indifference since most (outside the front office) are aware the team is spinning their wheels.


The plan for improvement is far less clear than even the Bears, yet the hate of management is still hugely disproportionate.


The real villain for CHI is Lebron. No hate from me for them doing their self-proclaimed "super team" in MIA. Aside from calling each other, it was legal.

The decision and parading in advance was terribly distasteful and Lebron's flopping drives me bonkers as much as his one-sided whining about calls while travelling & running guys over like a RB & getting charity FTs.

Rondo has generally been known as a locker room poison, but appears at surface level to be producing lately at least. The drama while quiet, is still very combustible within this team.


Best of luck to your Pacers vs. CLE. I'm very happy to not be forced to watch the Bulls lose yet another series to Lebron. Bulls are less capable than ever to face them & while the game 1 > Boston was great, I don't expect that 3 more times. Really would love to be wrong, but certainly can't reasonably expect that + then 4 wins > CLE. Bulls/Pacers would be awesome & historic, but extremely unlikely. Sucks to be that way, but the team is really mismanaged and not where it needs to be.
 

Troy23

New member
Joined:
Jan 3, 2012
Posts:
79
Liked Posts:
16
Thomas is hated because he was part of the Bad Boys. They did to our team what would be Flagrant 2's in todays game and then when we beat them, they leave before the games even over.

Wade, yeah he played for Miami. We had a rivalry with them that began back in the Alonzo Mourning era. Some people hate Wade because he "used" Chicago to get more money out of Miami when the Big 3 were formed. I take Wade at his word when he says that the only reason they (he and LeBron) didn't sign with us in 2010 is because the Bulls wouldn't trade Luol Deng. Deng was a great player for us, but hell, I'm taking Dwyane Wade and LeBron James over Luol Deng.

D-Wade has personally been my favorite non-Bulls player all his career. Now he is a Bull.
 

anotheridiot

Well-known member
Joined:
Jul 15, 2016
Posts:
5,935
Liked Posts:
799
I think the difference is, Chicago never hated Wade. If Miami did not pick him the Bulls were all over him. Ended up with Hirnich. The best description is I think Wade is the guy Chicago always wanted to root for. We understand that LeBron and Dwayne were close to signing here, the problem was that neither of them saw D Rose as the third of the big three and wanted Bosh instead and Reinsdork was not going over the cap for that. There is far too much blame to pass around internally for him not signing here sooner.
 

Top