The Chicago Bulls have some of the best alumni in the NBA. Michael Jordan obviously leads the pack, but there is also Scottie Pippen, Derrick Rose, Dennis Rodman, Joakim Noah, and so many more. The Bulls are one of the most historic franchises in the league, and they have produced a ton of talent.
Most recently, Jimmy Butler has been absolutely dominating the league on the grandest stage. His Miami Heat are currently one win away from their second NBA Finals appearance in four years. During a recent chat with NBC Sports Chicago’s KC Johnson, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel spoke about Butler’s poor relationship with former Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg.
Winderman recalled a time when Butler yelled at Hoiberg to “coach harder,” speculating that the Heat forward still blames the ex-Chicago coach to this day.
“So it’s your fault Fred Hoiberg, who I think Jimmy blames more than anything,” Winderman said.
That being said, Winderman also noted that Butler still respects former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, as he likely helped develop him into the hard-nosed, intense player he is today.
“You can see so much respect for Thibs and what Thibs did,” Winderman said. “That Thibs didn’t hand him something. He had to earn it in Chicago.”
But instead of helping the Bulls make Finals after Finals, Butler is down in Miami, leading the charge. One can only wonder what things would have been like if the Bulls had kept Butler around and attempted to build a championship-caliber roster and winning culture around him.
