The Bulls suffered another frustrating defeat on Wednesday night, blowing a 10-point lead in the final three minutes and losing 119-114 to the Hawks. The collapse represented a boiling point for a pair of Bulls stars, as Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler questioned the effort and heart of their teammates in post-game comments, per K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
“I wish I could say that everyone in here is going to go home and not eat tonight. I can’t say that. I don’t know that they care enough,” Wade said. “Games are supposed to hurt. You’re not supposed to sleep. You’re not supposed to want to talk to anybody. I don’t know if that is in guys in this locker room. Hopefully, they can prove me wrong. But I will challenge them to see if losses like this hurt.
“They have to figure it out as individuals,” Wade added. “Guys have to look at themselves in the mirror and see if you really care enough. Are you putting everything into it for your teammates and for yourself? I would say no.”
Butler echoed Wade’s sentiments, questioning whether their teammates were as upset about the team’s bad losses this season as they should be.
“If you don’t come in this (expletive) pissed off after you lose any game, something is wrong,” Butler said. “This is your job. This is what you’re supposed to love to do, and I don’t think that everybody looks at it that way. I want to play with guys who care, guys who play hard, who want to do well for this organization, who want to do whatever it takes to win.”
Wade and Butler also questioned the Bulls’ shot-attempt decisions down the stretch, with players like Paul Zipser and Nikola Mirotic taking – and missing – key three-pointers late in the game. Butler suggested that the club needs to make a better effort to get the ball into the hands of its best players in key late-game situations, while Wade acknowledged that players should be ready to take open shots, but added that “you better have made that shot a lot of times and you better have put the work in — and I don’t see that enough.”
“Me and Jimmy, Coach puts the ball in our hands a lot to make plays, to make shots. That’s our job,” Wade said. “I think for the majority of the season we’ve done it when (it) counted, when we needed to. I can look at Jimmy and say Jimmy is doing his job. I think Jimmy can look at me and say Dwyane is doing his job. I don’t know if we can keep going down the line and be able to say that.”
The Bulls remain in the playoff picture in the East, as their 23-24 record is good for the No. 8 seed. However, given the frustration in the locker room, and the criticisms coming from team leaders, it would be surprising to see Chicago stand pat over the next few weeks. The club’s front office figures to explore ways to improve – or shake up – the roster prior to the trade deadline, though Butler had no interest in offering suggestions for potential deals.
“That’s not my job,” Butler said, per Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. “I don’t give a damn about no trade deadline. I just want to win now. Not later. Now.”
While Wade and Butler are speaking the truth, the talent on this roster is not like years past. Think about Wade, he’s used to playing with LeBron and Bosh. And think of Butler, this is his first year where he is the unquestioned superstar with no real supporting cast besides Wade.
The main issue stems from that horrible tandem known as GarPax. They have not done a good job on scouting and development, drafting players who have no business in the NBA and not making sensible trades that would help The Bulls in the future. It’s painful to watch on all levels. And until they get a real front office, the Bulls will be a middle of the road team.
One of the main issues I see with this team is a completely lack of chemistry. That isn’t unique to this year’s team — who has many different players.
Its been a trend since Jimmy successfully executed a hostile takeover of the top spot, from Rose. There are ways to become “the guy,” and the way Jimmy did it wasn’t right.
He’s not a leader or superstar. He’s too egotistical, doesn’t make his teammates better, and is much more of a Pippen than Jordan (in terms of strictly talent).
Unfortunately, this team doesn’t have a real head coach to reign this in, either. Hoiberg doesn’t have a pair between his legs, no one respects him, and so everyone is running around doing and saying whatever they want.
Don’t agree with you on Butler, but Hoiberg is a complete joke. Would rather have any coach in the league. This was doomed to fail from the start and everyone but GarPax and blind Jerry knew it. That’s the most disheartening part about all of this.
The Bulls’s record reflects Butler’s worth as a star player. He’s a top 10 player in terms of individual stats, but he doesn’t win, or make the team play better. He will never be a true superstar until he gets his ego under control and puts the team before himself.
I’d agree the fact that the Bulls record at .500 is a testament to how good a player he is individually. But you have to look at it from his point of view. He has 3-4 years as a top 10 player in this league and what have the Bulls done to maximize that window? I think we’d all be frustrated too.
Jimmy is all about Jimmy. His ego is extremely off-putting. Jordan had an ego. A healthy ego. He made all of his teammates better, shared the ball, and brought out the best in his players. He was a true leader who knew what each player excelled at, and then gave them the go ahead to focus on that, and put them in the best position to excel. Jimmy doesn’t care. He just bashes his teammates and is only out for his stats and himself.
Ugh enough
Apparently, it’s Jimmy Butler’s fault there are no shooters on this team, and they have a coach that doesn’t know how to utilize his roster
I will continue to say it; Their rotations need to change. Their guards have been terrible. They’re getting nothing from anyone besides Butler, Wade, Taj Gibson, McDermott, and Lopez…as well as Taj has played, he needs to come off the bench. They need more balance on the floor, and to at least try to create a little spacing. Valentine, Wade, Butler, McDermott, Lopez…Taj, Rondo, Mirotic, Grant, MCW, Portis, Canaan. Those last 3 in certain situations. MCW can guard multiple positions. They need a shooter at the guard or wing spots pretty desperately.
People are attacking the roster, but look back at the bench under Thibs… Nate Robinson, Marco Bellineli and Andres Noccioni
You’re gonna tell me that this bench is that much worse? Or is it that the coaching staff is running some half assed program with GarPax watching everything from a distance…
Ownership is also a problem, Michael Reinsdorf is a loyal fanboy to John Paxon and Jimmy Butler.
Butler and others ran Thibs out and are now two years into dealing with the consequences
The grass isn’t always greener, is it Wade? This team is lucky to be near. 500
Wish the Heat would’ve kept him. Nothing but a primadonna.