NEW YORK — There would be consequences after playing a four-overtime game less than 24 hours earlier.
On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, the Bulls lost 107-91 to the Knicks, and Jimmy Butler raised some eyebrows with his comments after the team’s second consecutive loss.
Butler has spoken up often since being rewarded with a five-year, $95 million contract, calling out his teammates when needed. After this performance, Butler took aim at coach Fred Hoiberg.
“I believe in the guys in this locker room, yeah,’’ Butler said. “But I also believe that we probably have to be coached a lot harder at times. I’m sorry, I know that Fred’s a laid-back guy, and I really respect him for that. But when guys aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do, you gotta get on guys, myself included. You gotta do what you’re supposed to do when you’re out there playing basketball.
“It’s on everybody. But I just think when it’s coming from [Hoiberg], it’s a lot different. It’s different when a player is telling another player and a coach is telling a player. I know it’s really not in him, but I think at times that’s what we need.’’
They needed something against the Knicks.
Even with Pau Gasol staying in Chicago to recover and Doug McDermott dealing with some swelling in the same knee he had surgery on last season, it seemed as if the Bulls (15-10) would have no hangover from the marathon loss to the Pistons, jumping out to a 12-2 lead.
Hoiberg then went to the second unit, and things quickly fell apart. Even when the starters returned, there was little they could do to grab the momentum back.
It wasn’t the Bulls’ first low-energy game, but this one seemed to set Butler off.
“It’s not even about being coached a certain way for five years,’’ Butler said when former coach Tom Thibodeau was brought up. “It’s about making everybody do their job. We weren’t doing what we were supposed to be doing, what we wrote up on that [locker-room] board before the game, and nobody spoke up about it. I did — probably not enough times — but I think [Hoiberg] has to hold everybody accountable, from the No. 1 player to however many guys we got. Everyone has to do their job.’’
When asked if he thought Hoiberg was capable of cracking the whip, Butler said, “Yeah, yeah, he’s gotta be. It’s gotta be on me, too. It’s gotta be on our leaders to call guys out when they’re not doing their job.’’
‘‘Do your job’’ was one of Thibodeau’s mantras, and Butler referenced it several times in his postgame session.
Lost amid Butler’s comments was Joakim Noah returning to the starting lineup for Gasol.
Noah was outstanding with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and rookie Bobby Portis had a breakout game with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Butler scored 12 and shot 4-for-11 from the field.
“Basketball is basketball,’’ Butler said when asked about the transition from Thibodeau to Hoiberg. “Players are going to play the game. But it’s different. I’m not going to say it’s not.’’
Follow me on Twitter @suntimes_hoops.
Email: jcowley@suntimes.com
