Jimmy Butler’s distrust of the Bulls, explained

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

Paul Flannery and I worked through the Chicago Bulls’ issues in this week’s F&Z. Even if you strip away the drama stemming from Rajon Rondo’s displeasure with ... well, everything, there’s a problem there. And you can trace it back to the Bulls front office’s constantly bizarre behavior.

And lo, right on cue, Ryen Russillo explains why Jimmy Butler mistrusts the Bull’s front office. Russillo said on ESPN Radio Tuesday that once Butler demurred on a lowball early extension offer after his third season, a member of the front office threatened to supplant Butler in the rotation with ... Tony Snell. This allegedly infuriated Butler to the point where he still doesn’t trust the front office. Tom Thibodeau apparently stepped in, Butler thrived, and the Bulls locked him up with a max offer sheet in free agency that really didn’t allow him to leave.

I would wonder if the Bulls front office had some good kompromat on Jerry Reinsdorf but then I just remembered that Jerry Reinsdorf may not even be aware the Bulls are in season. Thirteen days until pitchers and catchers report!

Predictably, LeBron’s rant on Charles Barkley’s personal foibles dominated the basketball conversation on Tuesday. It turns out that everything LeBron said about Chuck was true. Their beef goes far back beyond Monday’s battle. Barkley, for his part, didn’t get too worked up about the comments.

NYK 101, WAS 117
NOP 106, TOR 108 (OT)
SAC 83, HOU 105
OKC 94, SAS 108
CHA 98, POR 115
DEN 116, LAL 120

Daman Rangoola argues that it’s time for the Lakers to move on from Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss.

The list of NBA players and personnel speaking out against President Trump’s travel ban has grown. WNBA star-on-the-rise Breanna Stewart protested over the weekend.

The most poignant comments this week have been from Luol Deng, whose family were refugees fleeing war-torn Sudan when he was a child.

Nathaniel Friedman on Kyle Lowry and the power of profanity.

Andrew Sharp on the NBA as self-care.

You want a playmaker, LeBron? The Cavaliers are holding a workout that includes Mario Chalmers, Kirk Hinrich, and Lance Stephenson. Here’s to hoping one of them blows Cleveland away.

Ready for the NBA draft? Me neither, which is fine, because we have almost five months. But Jonathan Givony writes about the hottest prospects, including an international who could go No. 1 in 2018.

Not awesome: A New Jersey girl was denied a chance to play basketball for her school, which doesn’t have a girls’ team. Awesome: After hearing about her plight, the New York Liberty invited her to work out with Sugar Rodgers and talk to Swin Cash.

Interesting piece from Matt Moore on Isaiah Thomas’ fourth-quarter performances, where the scoring numbers are [kisses fingers] and the plus-minus is [grimaces].

Meet Sachin Gupta, who orchestrated that devastating trade with the Kings on behalf of the Sixers.

There have been multiple good investigations into the actual value of Russell Westbrook’s triple-doubles. But I quite enjoyed this inquisition into whether Westbrook is a rebound thief.

Be excellent to each other.