Trade rumors are swirling around the Bulls and All-Star Jimmy Butler, but any rumbling of a rift between Butler and coach Fred Hoiberg simply isn't true — so they say.
“I think Jimmy and I have a really good relationship right now,” Hoiberg said (via ESPN.com), adding that any reports to the contrary are “completely false.”
"That's not the reality at all," Hoiberg said. "Again, we have a very good relationship. Obviously, I have a lot of trust in Jimmy, putting the ball in his hands late in games to help us go out and finish games. I communicate with Jimmy as much as anybody on this team. Again, I think very highly of him just for what he's done with his game over the course of his career. I've always been a fan of his."
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Earlier in the season Butler criticized Hoiberg, saying he needed to “coach harder” while the team struggled early. But all indications point to the star player and his first-year coach having moved on.
As for Butler and his much-discussed future, he’s simply blocked out any trade reports and said he doesn’t “plan on going anywhere.”
"To tell you the truth, I don't pay attention to the rumors," Butler said. "Somebody sent [the story] to me today, and I just clicked off of it. I mean, why am I getting [into the speculation]? I can't control it. I can't say don't do this or don't do that. That's not my job. If I do what I'm supposed to do on the floor, then everything else takes care of itself. I'm a firm believer in that."
At 38-37, Chicago is one game behind Indiana for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.