Rajon Rondo has called out Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade with a scathing Instagram, a day after the two Bulls veterans ripped into Chicago’s teammates.
“My vets would never go to the media,” wrote Rondo, with a picture of the Celtics’ old Big Three accompanying the text. “My vets didn’t pick and choose when they wanted to bring it.”
On Wednesday after the Bulls lost 119-114 to Atlanta, both Butler and Wade were both very critical of the younger players on the roster.
“I don’t know if enough people care,” Wade asked, who singled out Butler as the one person who was doing his job.
Wade: "I can look at Jimmy and say Jimmy is doing his job. I think Jimmy can look at me and say Dwyane is doing his job. (cont.)
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 26, 2017
Butler added: “If you don’t come in motherf***ing pissed off every game, any game, if you’re not pissed off that you lost, something is wrong. This is your job. This is what you’re supposed to love to do.”
In turn, Rondo responded with this Instagram post on Thursday evening.
Here’s the text of that post.
My vets would never go to the media. They would come to the team. My vets didn’t pick and choose when they wanted to bring it. They brought it every time they stepped in the gym whether it was practice or a game. They didn’t take days off. My vets didn’t care about their numbers. My vets played for the team. When we lost, they wouldn’t blame us. They took responsibility and got in the gym. They showed the young guys what it meant to work. Even in Boston when we had the best record in the league, if we lost a game, you could hear a pin drop on the bus. They showed us the seriousness of the game. My vets didn’t have an influence on the coaching staff. They couldn’t change the plan because it didn’t work for them. I played under one of the greatest coaches, and he held everyone accountable. It takes 1-15 to win. When you isolate everyone, you can’t win consistently. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a bad teammate. My goal is to pass what I learned along. The young guys work. They show up. They don’t deserve blame. If anything is questionable, it’s the leadership.
Either in solidarity or to be incredibly petty, Wade “liked” the post on Instagram. So did teammate Bobby Portis, for what it’s worth.
Instagram comments never lie pic.twitter.com/Gh9PQDgxND
— Amanda Kaschube (@amandakaschube) January 26, 2017
Rondo’s time in Chicago has mostly been a disaster so far this season. He reportedly signed with the team thinking he would be allowed to “run the show,” and he called his five-game benching right at the new year “bullsh***.” While Rondo has returned to the rotation, he’s coming off the bench now with a much reduced role, averaging just 18 minutes in January.
Of course, Rondo also doesn’t have the most pristine record as a teammate. Most notably, the Mavericks players voted not to give Rondo his typical playoff share after the point guard left the team midway through their first round series against the Houston Rockets in 2015.
The Bulls brought Butler, Wade and Rondo together this summer knowing all three had “alpha” personalities and hoping they could work together all the same. But the situation is spiraling further and further out of control, as Chicago has lost six of their last 10 games.