Either Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler really don’t like one another…or there are a bunch of really unreliable sources running around inside of the Bulls organization.
Rumors about the alleged tension between the two have been floating around for months now, even as Butler has done his best to try and diffuse them. But according to a report released by the Chicago Sun-Times yesterday, yet another source has come forward and revealed that Rose and Butler might not be on the same page. The source, identified as “a former member of the Bulls” (does that mean it’s a player? A coach? A ball boy? A guy who walked around and sold peanuts?), told the Sun-Times that “personally, the two are great.” However, when it comes to their professional relationship, the source said Butler “doesn’t have a lot of respect for" Rose's work ethic.
Butler’s work ethic is, by all accounts, exceptional. In the same Sun-Times report, Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg went as far as to compare Butler to—GASP—Michael Jordan based off the work he puts in during the offseason. But is that work ethic causing a rift between Butler and Rose? Maybe, maybe not. But either way, the perception that they don’t get along probably isn’t going to go away anytime soon.
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[via Chicago Sun-Times]
