Chicago Bulls: Jimmy Butler must own his words and back them up
In their first game since the locker room experienced an implosion, the Chicago Bulls lost again. Jimmy Butler played horribly. His play needs to show more leadership than his words.
This Chicago Bulls locker room controversy seems to get bigger. In their first game after Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler ripped their teammates, more fallout occurs. Yes, the Bulls lost again, but at this point, that is the least of their worries.
The Bulls, whether it was head coach Fred Hoiberg‘s decision or that of the front office, benched the duo for the start of the game. They came in about halfway through the first quarter, then they proceeded to play like reserves and not the stars they are.
Wade scored 15 points, but shot just 6-for-17 from the field (35 percent), and was a -5 while on the floor.
Butler played perhaps the worst game in his career (and third worst game in the NBA this season). He scored 3 points, went 1-for-13 shooting, and was a -23 while on the floor.
The other guy who went on the attack, Rajon Rondo, ironically had a very good game. He scored 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting, and he was +8 while on the floor.
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I won’t criticize Wade since his leadership skills. His resume speaks for itself. Mr, Butler, however, is another story.
One of the worst things you could do after criticizing your team is going out and laying an egg, exactly what he did on Friday night. His play on the floor should demonstrate his leadership more than the words coming out of his mouth. If you say some people are dogging it, you cannot go out and play the same way.
Butler is trying to get where Wade is. So far, though, he’s traveling a bumpy road. He got into trouble with his teammates and his coach last season when he tried to talk like a leader, but ended up rubbing people the wrong way instead.
Becoming a leader takes time. Just because you sign a big contract doesn’t mean you are a leader. Butler needs to look no further than the Chicago Bears and Brandon Marshall to see that. Marshall was a great player, but his teammates didn’t see him as a real leader. When he spoke up and did things a leader should, he got ignored. Same thing happened to Butler last season when he tried to take over a team that had Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose, and Pau Gasol.
Also, Butler needs to own his words and go out and keep playing well. This isn’t the first time he throws a grenade and ends up bombing.
Last season, reports came out on December 28th of 2015 about Butler’s difficulties in the locker room. Butler went out that night and shot 2-for-7 (29 percent) for 5 points. He was a -8 while on the floor. On December 19th of 2015, Butler basically called Hoiberg soft after a loss to the New York Knicks. In that game, however, he shot 4-for-11 (36 percent) for 12 points, and was -13 while on the floor.
Being a leader doesn’t mean just ripping teammates. You need to bring your teammates up more than knocking them down. You also need to go out and take the oncoming criticism and keep playing well. Making controversial statements then wilting under the pressure of the blowback doesn’t cut it.