The Chicago Bulls was recently involved in some controversy between Jimmy Butler and his teammates.
In the past, there was reported tension between Derrick Rose, the former MVP and leader of the Bulls but was bogged by injuries, and Butler, who gallantly took his place.
But the current tension is not between the two of them, but of Butler and the other guys, according toESPN's Nick Friedell's as he guested on Posting Up With Tim Bontemps Podcast:
"I don't think that the tension between Jimmy and Derrick was ever as bad as it was made out to be," Friedell said. "But the tension now, moving forward off the Derrick talk for a second, between Jimmy and other players in that locker room is bad." (h/t NBC for transcriptions)
The tension stemmed from Butler's assumption of the leadership role since he signed the big contract. Apparently, the other players are not convinced.
Friedell explained: "That respect has to be earned over time. Nobody is questioning Jimmy's work ethic. He's worked his tail off. But they are questioning whether Jimmy can be the leader that this group needs with so much turmoil going on around them."
The sad part has been confirmed: "You talk to anybody within that Bulls organization, and they'll tell you that Jimmy has changed. His personality has changed."
Friedell mentions that it's not necessarily a bad thing for a role player to become the star player or leader of the team-that happens all the time and a team has problems when no one assumes the mantle. However, he may need to take more time with his teammates.
"He's really rubbed some people the wrong way with how he's going about things," Friedell concluded. "So, it's something to watch for, and it's something that I know is on the minds of the front office in that, 'Can we trust this guy to go out and to be who we need him to be every night, and can he lead us the way that a championship-caliber team needs to be led?' And early on, the returns have been no."
Butler's story of a "blue collar" player who rose from the shadows of a former MVP should be an inspiring one, but somehow, the Bulls are faced in a dilemma. Aside from the coaching adjustments, now this leadership issue. It would be no surprise if there will be massive changes.
NBC's Dan Feldman notes that Rose and Noah, the team's leaders prior to Butler's rise, are still there. However, there have been rumors of the team looking to trade the two, and perhaps that is another source of tension.
Feldman concludes: "I wouldn't rush to declare Butler a problem in Chicago. His off-court issues would have to be far worse than we realize to counteract his on-court production. But I would keep an eye on him and how he handles suddenly being the team's best player - and how his teammates handle it, too."