What If LeBron James And Dwyane Wade Went To Chicago In 2010?

What would have happened if LeBron James and Dwyane Wade signed with the Chicago Bulls in 2010 instead of the Miami Heat?

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade could have teamed up with Derrick Rose in 2010. Would the Chicago Bulls have become a dynasty to rival the Michael Jordan-led Bulls teams of the 1990s or would they have been a failed attempt at a superteam like the team the New York Knicks in assembled in 2010? Or, would they have fallen somewhere in-between?

According to Chicago Bulls’ insider Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago, Wade and LeBron planned on joining the Bulls in 2010 until Chris Bosh decided to join the Miami Heat.

Wade adds that if the Bulls had traded Luol Deng in a cap-clearing move that would have netted them the eight overall pick, things would have been different as well. That move could have ended up in the Bulls acquiring Joe Johnson in free agency as well.

Considering that the 2010-2011 Chicago Bulls went 62-20 without James, Wade or Joe Johnson as Rose won the 2010-2011 NBA MVP Award, a Bulls team with LeBron, Wade, Johnson, Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah would have definitely have been dominant. There was the chance for the Chicago Bulls to draft Paul George and other players who had star potential in the 2010 NBA Draft and were available with the eight overall pick.

There’s no doubt that if they drafted a player like George, they would have been better than Miami Heat.

Consider that we know experienced veterans would be willing to sign minimum deals as they chased a ring and joined a bench with the George, Kyle Korver, Taj Gibson and James Johnson. With that level of talent on the roster they should have been more dominant than the Chicago Bulls teams of the 1990s.

On the court, James would have been playing in Deng’s place while Johnson took the place of Carlos Boozer. Wade would have taken the place of Keith Bogans.

In theory, the Bulls would have had the same spacing with both Wade and Boozer’s ability to be deadly from midrange and Johnson and Bogans’ accuracy from behind the arc. Deng shoots 33.3 percent from three-point range for his career, James shoots 34.2 percent from three-point range for his career.

Still, the trio of Rose, Wade and James would have lacked three-point shooting. Nonetheless, they would have had the strength, athleticism, midrange accuracy and passing acumen to allow them to dominate in transition or in the pick-and-roll.

In many ways, even without the threat of a three-point shot, this Bulls team would have been ahead of their time with a personnel fit for a motion-heavy offense and the ability to switch 1-4 with ease. Noah would have been an interesting piece for the team because of rim-protecting abilities that would provide a safety net for the Bulls defensively and passing abilities that would have made the Bulls even harder to guard.

Imagine mixing the “Flying Death Machine” of the LeBron James-era Miami Heat with the high-wire act of Rose and San Antonio Spurs-like passing.

Without having to be the best player on the court night-in and night-out, Rose may have been able to prevent himself from being injured. Without having to be the only high-flying guard, Wade would have been able to better preserve his body. Those are other factors to be considered.

Yes, Tim Thibodeau is notorious for demanding perhaps too much of his players physically but with James on the roster and the chance to be perennial championship contenders he could have smartly softened  his position on that stance to a Gregg Popovichian-level.

So how long would this Chicago Bulls dominate?

They would certainly be kings of the East and make it to as many NBA Finals as long James decided to stay in the Windy City. Bosh may have still signed with Miami while Boozer could have strengthened the roster of the Boston Celtics. Nonetheless, there was nothing in the way of this Chicago Bulls team.

They would likely be facing a Los Angeles Clippers team with their current Big Three plus Deng, the Oklahoma City Thunder team that had Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden or the Steve Kerr-led Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

Knowing what we know now, while the Clippers would have been a very tough out in the NBA Finals, James and Wade would have dominated as scorers. Going head-to-head with Chris Paul, a MVP-level Rose may have been dominant as well. The Thunder may have still been defeated handily because of their youth. The Warriors would have had a lot of trouble defending the rim against the three-headed monster of Rose, Wade and James while the Bulls had less trouble guarding them with the athletes they have on the perimeter.

Just think, there may have never been a meltdown against the Dallas Mavericks, who may have lost against the Clippers, for James. James could also have simply played better with a more aggressive coach and personnel on the team.

But if the Bulls started a dynasty, there may never have been redemption in Cleveland either.

What happens to James’ killer instinct? Is it questioned?

Without the luxury of being surrounded by shooters, does James develop his post game or find out the blueprint to his success?

Unfortunately, the world will never know what would have happened if Wade and James joined the Chicago Bulls.

If James was to win seven straight NBA Finals with that group, he could universally be considered better than Jordan. Or, detractors would still say he needed to build a superteam. Others still might say he literally lived in Jordan’s shadow.

Whatever the case, seeing Rose, Wade and James fly around the court would have been sensational. Led by Thibodeau, James could have won a Defensive Player of the Year award.

I for one, wanted to see James join the Chicago Bulls in 2010. I didn’t the Cleveland Cavaliers were really committed to winning a championship based on the players they brought to star beside James. In his first stint in Cleveland, James was the only All-Star in seven years besides Zydrunas Ilgauskus, who earned his second and last All-Star appearance in James’ sophomore season.

Seeing how everything worked out in the end, I don’t know if I would change James’ story one bit. Still, I can’t help but wonder what James’ story would look like if he and Wade signed with the Chicago Bulls.

Related Story: Are The Cleveland Cavaliers Still The Only Eastern Conference Contenders?

What are your thoughts on Dwyane Wade and LeBron James joining the Chicago Bulls in 2010? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.