Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler doesn't like beef of the figurative variety.
After his team fell to the reigning Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of last season's playoffs, rumors began to circulate that there was a rift between Butler and Chicago's native son Derrick Rose.
According to the rumors, a seemingly passive-aggressive Rose decided to defer to Butler in their disappointing Game 6 outing, effectively ending their season altogether.
Rose, who had a pair of 30-point performances earlier in the matchup against LeBron and company, scored only 14 points in Game 6 on 16 field-goal attempts, despite averaging 22.5 attempts for the entire series.
In an interview with Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith on ESPN's "First Take," Butler attempted to quell the perception that tension hindered the teammates' relationship and on-court production.
"I don't think it matters. If we win, this isn't an issue. But since we lost, it's an issue," Butler said.
He added, "If we win the championship, nobody's worried about any of that. The only reason it came up is because we lost. I don't think we have any beef or whatever you want to call it. I think we just want to win. We didn't win, so now we're beefing, now we have problems with each other, and I don't think that's the case."
A more fascinating revelation emerged from Butler's conversation, however - he's a big fan of Taylor Swift's music.
The 6-foot-7 shooting guard apparently finds Swift's music helpful when preparing for games due to its up-tempo rhythms. Perhaps he owes the songstress a stake in his successful 2014-15 campaign, which saw him become an All-Star for the first time in his career.
Butler is one of seven new invitees for this summer's Team USA minicamp, scheduled to take place in August.
