Butler backs Rondo: 'He's a phenomenal damn teammate'

Jimmy Butler has come out to publicly defend teammate Rajon Rondo, who was suspended Monday for conduct detrimental to the team after he reportedly got into a verbal altercation with an assistant coach.

Despite the setback, Butler maintains the point guard "has been great" since signing with the Chicago Bulls in July.

"I think this is just another bump in the road," he told reporters after shootaround, according to Chris Kuc and K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "He's a phenomenal damn teammate and I back him on everything."

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Although it's the seventh suspension Rondo's been slapped with in the past four years, Butler doesn't think the 2008 NBA champion's reputation of having a difficult personality fits him at all, citing the positive impact he's made on him.

"I think we all love Rondo. I know I do," Butler said. "He's been a great mentor to me, he's made me a much better basketball player."

The numbers back up Butler's argument. The 27-year-old has emerged as the second-best player in the East this season, averaging a career-high 25.6 points and 6.7 rebounds on 46.7 percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent from deep, to go along with 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals. His 27.77 PER leads all players in the conference.

Chicago will need him to continue his strong run Monday night, when the third-place Bulls host the Portland Trail Blazers without their starter at the one-spot.