The Chicago Bulls appear to have a trust problem within their organization, and Jimmy Butler has found himself at the center of it.
Butler, who led the Bulls to an impressive win over the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday night, has joined Dwyane Wade recently in being openly critical of his teammates. But from the sound of it, Butler is having issues with his bosses as well.
According to a report from Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Butler was “irate” last season after stories came out that essentially labeled him an egomaniac who spends more time hanging out with celebrities than he does with his own teammates. Butler supposedly believed those leaks came from the Bulls’ own front office, and specifically general manager Gar Forman. In addition, Butler reportedly believes certain coaches on the Bulls staff act as moles for Forman and rat on players who talk negatively about him. Here’s more:
Butler and other Bulls have had issues with the “spying’’ that goes on in the locker room. He warned new players that if they didn’t want Forman to hear criticism, they shouldn’t talk in front of certain assistant coaches such as Randy Brown.
The belief is that the Bulls love to gather as much ammunition as they can on players, so they can win the news conference when the breakup comes, whether it’s a trade or free agency.
“They did it with [Luol Deng], and they did it with [Joakim Noah] and Derrick [Rose],” a source said. “That’s how they operate.”
In other words, some Bulls players reportedly believe coaches help the front office build a file on them so they can smear said players on their way out the door.
That may sound ridiculous, and it could be. Coaches are supposed to communicate with the front office, though you can understand why players would be annoyed if they felt they were being taddled on. Still, there should be a certain degree of professionalism in an NBA locker room.
Despite a big win on Wednesday that pulled them to 25-25 on the season, the Bulls are in danger of crumbling. The level of respect between certain players and their bosses is obviously not high, and Rajon Rondo’s recent Instagram rant painted a clear picture of how some of the players feel about their teammates. Trades could be forthcoming.
