The Chicago Bulls have now lost three in a row to drop their record to 15-11 with the most recent loss coming at home against the lowly Brooklyn Nets. Things in Chicago have been better than they are now and it seems like stories of their problems continue to come out. Recently it was Jimmy Butler calling out Fred Hoiberg for his coaching style and now it is being reported that Butler's teammates aren't thrilled with the way he has handled his stardom, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.
Butler was a first time All-Star last season in a year where he exploded onto the scene averaging 20.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The Bulls rewarded Butler with a five year $95 million contract as he is a two way player that has incredible work ethic by all accounts and he has started off this season playing well too. The Bulls though, haven't been as good as their roster suggests they should be and many players are reportedly not thrilled with Butler.
Aside from Butler relishing his stardom too much, his teammates also believe he doesn't do enough to make everyone else better whether that is on the court by getting the ball moving, or off the court by encouraging teammates.
"Jimmy gets the ball a lot, and he's deserving, the next step for him is to take a leadership role, and making more plays for his teammates. We need more fluidity on offense," said Joakim Noah, the Bulls' emotional leader.
Let's not forget where Butler came from to become a star when talking about his teammates criticisms of him. Butler was not a highly recruited player out of high school so he went to junior college before eventually transferring to Marquette. After spending three years at Marquette Butler was drafted by the Bulls with the last pick of the first round (30th overall) in the 2011 NBA Draft and he was thought to be a defensive player who might find a role in the league. Butler, through hard work, has turned himself into a star so he deserves to be able to enjoy it.
For Butler to be considered one of the top players in the NBA though, he will have to become more of a playmaker and leader because all of the best players in the league are. Butler has averaged just 3.3 assists per game over the last two seasons and has been involved in a few off the court stories. Butler called out Hoiberg recently after a game and his and Derrick Rose's relationship reportedly isn't very good so while Butler has really grown to become a great player he still is not perfect and has some things to work on before he can be considered in that upper echelon.
