A 94-73 Game 6 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers sent the Chicago Bulls packing in disheartening fashion, and tension between their backcourt tandem reportedly played a part in their demise.
Trailing by 14 at halftime, Chicago needed a concerted second-half effort from its core if they hoped to prolong the series and force a do-or-die Game 7 at Quicken Loans Arena. That didn't happen, though, as the Bulls scored an anemic 29 points on 28.9 percent shooting in the final 12 minutes.
Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose, who scored 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the opening quarter, was a complete afterthought for the remainder of the game, scoring just four points the rest of the way.
Tension between Rose and backcourt partner Jimmy Butler may have played a part in Rose disappearing, reports Dan Bernstein of CBS Chicago.
Instead of taking over the game like he's done in the past, Rose became passive-aggressive, stepping out of the spotlight and allowing Butler to shoulder more of the offense.
Rose's stoic demeanor was reportedly "the culmination of tensions building in recent weeks with Butler’s emergence as a primary scorer."
Butler, the 2015 NBA Most Improved Player finished with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-22 shooting in 43 minutes of action.
With the loss ending Chicago's season, Rose picked the worst time to struggle offensively and not be the superstar he needed to be. There's only so much basketball to go around, but that doesn't justify the Bulls' floor general fading into the abyss.
Butler is expected to a receive a max offer from the Bulls this summer, meaning Chicago would have the most expensive backcourt in the NBA as Rose is set to make a little over $20 million in 2015-16.
This reported tension may blow over in due time, but if it doesn't, Chicago will have two disgruntled guards aching to control the basketball in the coming years.
