Chicago Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Butler is quietly becoming the face of the franchise, and he reportedly isn’t happy with the former one.
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times, a former member of the Bulls said that Butler while considers Rose a friend, the fifth-year pro doesn’t have a lot of respect for Rose’s work ethic.
Cowley notes the source also said Butler didn’t appreciate Rose’s comment in May that the shooting guard wasn’t yet a superstar. Whether that’s true or not doesn’t really matter; Butler was an All-Star in 2015 and earned the Most Improved Player award.
Additionally, Butler’s own work ethic has drawn the attention of new coach Fred Hoiberg. Per Cowley, Hoiberg said:
“I’m telling you, the amount of work he puts in … even during two-a-days, he would still come in a third time. I mean the guys is unbelievable how much energy he has. He’s just so dedicated to putting the right things in his body, his training, and he wants to continue to add to his game every year. I take my hat off to him.”
Rose—who made headlines for saying he’s already looking ahead to free agency in 2017—hasn’t played a strong majority of the last four seasons, but the collection of injuries are hardly his fault. Yet if Cowley’s source’s comments are true, Butler would likely be more upset about Rose’s actions while healthy than when he’s not available.
We have no business determining whether or not Rose has a “good” work ethic. What we do know is a former member of the Bulls thinks the best current one has an issue with the former MVP.
That’s not a great sign for the 2015-16 Chicago team.