Earlier today, Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg announced that both Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler would come off the bench against Miami as “discipline” due to their comments after their loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. Hoiberg did state that it was his decision alone to bench the pair over their comments made about the team’s desire to win, or lack there of.
Both Butler and Wade had some bold comments after their 119-114 loss against that Hawks. Butler claimed he didn’t believe that the team “played hard at all times” and Wade made it very clear that he wasn’t there to play Mr. Nice Guy. Wade said he believed that, losing doesn’t hurt his teammates the way that it should, and maybe they “don’t care enough about losing.”
After hearing these comments, Bulls guard Rajon Rondo took to Instagram to voice his distaste with the comments made about him and his teammates. Rondo had his own opinion on the situation. “If anything is questionable, it’s the leadership.” He also pointed out that when he was still a member of the Boston Celtics, veteran players like Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen wouldn’t be putting the blame on everyone else, and that they would own the loss themselves, get in the gym and show young players what it meant to work.
Coach Hoiberg also stated that all three players would not be suspended from the team, but that all three had been fined an amount he would not disclose to the press. Bulls GM Gar Forman told the press that he was “very disappointed” in the team’s public criticizing of each other and the use of social media as a platform, instead of handling it internally. It remains yet to be seen if any further action will be taken against the three star players.
