Butler's future with the team may have more to do with his compatibility with general manager Gar Forman than how well Butler and Derrick Rose mesh as teammates.
Butler's rise to becoming the Bulls' best player was a rough one. He struggled with how to become a team leader, sometimes rubbing teammates the wrong way. He spoke out in December about how coach Fred Hoiberg needs to coach the team harder, although that may have been Butler's way of disguising a message to certain teammates that they need to work harder.
Butler also clashed with Forman, a situation that could conceivably lead to a trade, just a year after Butler won the NBA's Most Improved Player Award and signed a five-year $95-million contract extension.
After growing up without a permanent father figure in his life, Butler found several quality role models on the Bulls. Older teammates Luol Deng and Ronnie Brewer took Butler under their wing. Assistant coach Adrian Griffin became a father figure, while former coach Tom Thibodeau found a way to play to Butler's strengths.
What do those four people have in common? Well, none of them are with the Bulls anymore. Maybe Butler's frustration with those changes explain why he vented to management.
More at the link:
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160416/sports/160418941
