After drawing his second foul with 7:16 to go in the second, Jimmy Butler just walks off the court and takes himself out of the game. pic.twitter.com/C4l0t5MmXz
— The Crossover (@TheCrossover) January 28, 2017
It has been a very weird week for the Chicago Bulls. Rajon Rondo’s Instagram tirade sparked quite a bit of fallout, and prior to that, it was Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade blowing up their teammates to the media after a disappointing loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. With that, both Butler and Wade were removed from the starting lineup for Friday’s game against the Miami Heat, and even after Butler entered the game, the fireworks did not stop.
The All-Star swing-man picked up his second foul midway through the second quarter and, well, appeared to take himself out of the game. At first glance, one might assume that this was a foul trouble situation, but in the NBA, two fouls with seven-plus minutes remaining in the first half is hardly a blip on the radar, and this could simply be some sort of power play from Butler. Head coach Fred Hoiberg appeared startled before inserting Taj Gibson into the game, further cementing that he was not prepared for Butler’s exit.
Frustration appears to be boiling over in the locker room for Chicago, and it probably won’t be assuaged by a home loss to the lowly Miami Heat. It will be (very) interesting to see what Butler says if and when he is prompted about this action after the game, but even if he doesn’t address it directly, it feels like a safe bet to assume that something wild and crazy will emanate from the Bulls in the near future. That just seems to happen right now.
