Dwyane Wade made certain to say all the right things during his Chicago Bulls introductory press conference. Only time will tell just how much resonance his words carry.

Wade declared the Bulls "Jimmy Butler's team," though the bigger question remains of whether any squad with a core of Wade, Butler and Rajon Rondo can come to prosper in today's NBA.

Talented as they are as individuals, the issue of whether they are suitable for one another as teammates in today's game of long range marksmanship and perimeter dominated offenses has to be considered.

Shooting Concerns

"We have our own strengths, and those strengths are what we're going to bring to this game," Wade said. "We're not going to come out there and try and be [Warrior's guard] Stephen Curry."

"As much as my son loves Stephen Curry, sorry, he's not your dad. I am. It's not a game we're going to try and play," he said.

It is a game plan Butler insists works fine for him, and after all the locker room division of 2016 you get the impression that he really means it.

Butler repeatedly clashed with teammates last season as he tried to take on the role of a more vocal leader. All the dissension led to Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah leaving for New York and Pau Gasol switching to San Antonio.

"Is it my team? I guess two of the three alphas have said that," Butler said of Wade and Rondo both making the same public declaration. "I'm liking that role as a leader, adds a lot of pressure, I want that."

The starting five figures will be rounded out by center Robin Lopez (acquired in the Rose deal) and Nikola Mirotic or Doug McDermott. The Bulls also added former Michigan State star Denzel Valentine via the draft.

Putting Disappointment Behind

However, any chance of this team rebounding from their disappointing 42-40 finish of a year ago revolves around how the combination of Wade and Butler come to work side by side.

The two have long admired one another, dating all the way back to their time at Marquette. It was Butler who helped recruit Wade to Chicago, convincing him to leave Miami after thirteen seasons.

"I've known him since Marquette," Wade said. "I have tremendous respect for him. This would not have happened if it hadn't been for Jimmy Butler."

Chicago Bulls 2016-2017 Roster

Jimmy Butler

Isaiah Canaan

Spencer Dinwiddie

Cristiano Felicio

Taj Gibson

Jerian Grant

Robin Lopez

Nikola Mirotic

Doug McDermott

Bobby Portis

Rajon Rondo

Tony Snell

Denzel Valentine

Dwyane Wade

Paul Zipser

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