Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose need to spend some time in the lab together.
Their chemistry is off.
Off-ish, at least.
Rumors of slight discord between Butler and Rose haven’t dominated the Chicago Bulls’ offseason, but they have been a part of it. The two apparently aren’t the best of friends, and in the NBA, especially during the dead dog days of summer, that’s reason enough to sound every alarm ever.
Neither Rose nor Butler has really copped to there being a big issue. But while making an appearance on The Waddle and Silvy Show on ESPN 1000, Butler did admit that the backcourt duo needs to improve its chemistry.
Per ESPN.com’s Nick Friedell:
Jimmy Butler is tired of talking about his relationship with Derrick Rose, but does acknowledge that the pair’s chemistry needs to be better heading into next season.
“I think we can,” Butler said Wednesday on “The Waddle and Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000, when asked about his chemistry with Rose. “I think we will. And I think we better, because the way I look at it, I don’t think either one of us is going anywhere anytime soon.”
Kudos to Butler for realizing that both he and Rose are in Chicago for the long haul. Butler just put pen to paper on a new five-year deal, and Rose, a Chicago native, is signed through 2017. With his injury history, the Bulls wouldn’t be able to pawn him off on another team if they tried. So, at least for the next two years, Butler and Rose have to successfully coexist.
And they probably will. Last season was unchartered territory for the two of them. Butler only just started being viewed as a franchise cornerstone, and Rose, arguably the Bulls’ most valuable player since Jordan at one point, needed to come to terms with his teammate’s new status. That’s not easy to do, at least not right away, after Rose himself was considered Chicago’s lifeline for so long. It takes time to adjust. And both players must adapt to the new pecking order. On top of that, they’ll need to acclimate themselves to coach Fred Hoiberg’s offense, figuring out how to complement one another.
The importance of these tasks is real. And while the rocky start Rose and Butler appear off to doesn’t mean they’re doomed, or that they hate one another, their relationship is one that must be reinvented to the point that, at minimum, it’s no longer the topic of conversation or mild source of unease it is now.
