The Chicago Bulls are at home watching the playoffs which, for them, is a rarity. This year's Bulls team was loaded with a lot of talent and came into the season with expectations of competing for a championship, never mind reaching the playoffs.
There are a lot of excuses that can be made for this Bulls team, including injuries and a new head coach among other things, and those aren't exactly wrong. Jimmy Butler, though, is not willing to make any excuses for why the Bulls missed the playoffs as he has shouldered all of the blame.
"I'm the reason that we did not make the playoffs," Butler said. "I'm fine with that. I'm not happy with it, but I'm fine with it. Because it's only going to make me stronger and better."
It is good that Butler, the Bulls' best player, took accountability for the disappointing season, but he is absolutely not the only person to blame. Butler was fantastic in the first part of the season as he made his second consecutive All-Star game and was being considered by many one of the best players in the league.
Toward the end of the year, though, Butler injured his knee and missed time. The 26-year-old guard came back from the injury, but he clearly wasn't 100 percent, and his play dropped off because of it. At one point Butler thought the knee might require offseason surgery, but he no longer thinks that is necessary.
The only things you could possibly blame Butler for are the reports that he has become arrogant as a leader and the lack of chemistry between him and Derrick Rose. Butler has denied the lack of chemistry between him and Rose and says that it's only a story because they weren't winning as much. Now it seems as though Rose and Butler may work out together over the summer to try and fix whatever chemistry issues they may have.
Butler's future with the Bulls isn't exactly as guaranteed as it would seem with him being under contract for four more seasons, as the Bulls have left the door open on the possibility of trading him. Butler has no control over that, though, and he has the right attitude about using this season's failures as motivation moving forward. Butler was already considered one of the hardest workers in the NBA, so if he starts to work even harder then you should expect huge things from him next season.
