Former Bulls point guard Michael Carter-Williams shared an unforgettable story from his time with the Chicago Bulls during the 2016-17 season on the “Thanalysis Show” with Thanasis Antetokounmpo. Reflecting on his 11-year NBA career, Carter-Williams cited that season with the Bulls as the craziest he had ever experienced, largely due to the volatile dynamics within the team.
“The craziest season I’ve ever been a part of was in Chicago, for sure,” Carter-Williams said. “Like, that was when we had Jimmy [Butler] DWade [Dwyane Wade], [Rajon] Rondo, Bobby [Portis], and Niko [Nikola Mirotić].”
He recounted a particularly intense team meeting early in the season when tensions between Jimmy Butler and head coach Fred Hoiberg came to a head. According to Carter-Williams, the meeting was called after the Bulls had lost their first three games, leading to frustration among players and coaches.
“I remember, like, and I love Jimmy; Jimmy’s a great dude, but this s— is crazy dude,” Carter-Williams began. “Our locker room was bad, bro. It was right at the beginning of the year, too. It was like our first three games and we lost. Everybody was pissed off and upset. Jimmy wasn’t getting along with Coach [Fred] Hoiberg. We had a team meeting early. We had a team meeting right off the rip. Everybody’s in the locker room; everybody’s silent.
“Coach Hoiberg starts it off; he’s like, ‘Alright, Jimmy, obviously this starts with me. What’s going on?’ But last game, the refs were terrible. Jimmy got a technical foul. Someone else got a tech. Jimmy goes, ‘Well, one, I think you’re soft. Two, I don’t like you.’ And he didn’t even get to three. Coach Hoiberg was like, ‘Well, f— you, Jimmy!’ Jimmy’s like, ‘Ah, it’s f—ing me now. You wanted to know how I felt.’ So that’s how the meeting started, bro.
“And I’m sitting in the corner like I’ve never heard this in my entire life. And the assistant coaches in the background are like, ‘Oh my God, oh my gosh.’ It was frustrating times, though.”
Despite the internal strife, the Bulls managed to finish the season with a 41-41 record, securing the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They faced the Boston Celtics in the first round and were eliminated in six games after initially taking a 2-0 series lead.
Following the tumultuous season, the Bulls traded Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, and a first-round pick that became Lauri Markkanen. Michael Carter-Williams also moved on, signing with the Charlotte Hornets. The Bulls struggled in the subsequent season, finishing with a 27-55 record, and eventually fired Fred Hoiberg, appointing Jim Boylen as the new head coach.
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