Derrick Rose Blasts Chicago Bulls After Deflating Loss to Cleveland Cavaliers

Derrick Rose is not all unflappable stoicism and insightful post-NBA career reflection.

He has a mean streak—replete with F-bombs and everything.

This incensed version of Rose took center stage following the Chicago Bulls' 108-94 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night. In speaking with reporters after the game, he expressed his frustration in no uncertain terms, per ESPN Chicago's Nick Friedell:

There was also this, via Sam Smith of Bulls.com:

The loss to Cleveland was indeed a good old-fashioned rump-romping. The Bulls never led, and they trailed by as many as 25 points. This also marked their sixth loss in eight games.

Key injuries no doubt haven't helped. Mike Dunleavy remains sidelined with a foot injury, and Joakim Noah has missed the last three-and-a-half games while tending to his sprained right ankle.

But perseverance is a hallmark of head coach Tom Thibodeau's Bulls. They basically played through two straight seasons without Rose and still made the playoffs each time. Recent performances have been unbecoming of their identity.

Uncharacteristically still, it's been their usually staunch defense that's betrayed them. They ranked second in points allowed per 100 possessions last season but are just 12th in 2014-15 and 28th over their last eight games.

Hence Rose's unprecedented frustration:

Questioning effort is a great way to set a locker room ablaze.

Whether the ignited fire has its intended impact is a different story.

Players may not take kindly to Rose calling them out. It's atypical of his public persona and comes from someone who appeared in just 50 combined regular-season and playoff games over the previous three seasons.

Rose himself is not absolved of all blame for Chicago's downswing, further complicating matters.

As CBS Sports' Zach Harper writes:

"

Part of the problem starts with Rose, himself, because the transition to getting him back in the swing of things while monitoring his health has not been very smooth. That's to be expected and for a while it was being remedied by the All-Star play of both Butler and Gasol. That's not to say Rose is the only problem and that it was an unavoidable problem after he missed so much time since the 2012 playoffs. But his inconsistency has helped lead to their inconsistency.

With Rose on the court this season, the offense hasn't really been noticeably better while the defense has been noticeably worse. The Bulls score 105.7 points per 100 possessions when Rose is on the bench and that improves to just 105.8 when he's on the floor. He hasn't been bad on offense, scoring 18.0 points per game on 41.3 percent shooting, but the chemistry between him and his teammates is something that has to rebuild over the course of the season and can't be expected to be fixed right away.

"

Rose doesn't shoulder all of the blame for Chicago's recent malaise, however.

Rookie Nikola Mirotic is shooting just 31.8 percent overall and 22.2 percent from deep since Jan. 1, Taj Gibson often looks removed from the offense, Butler is shooting just 40.3 percent this side of the new year, and Pau Gasol lost his offensive edge against Cleveland. 

Chicago's defense is also statistically worse with Butler, a touted stopper, on the floor. And then there are the injuries to consider.

Joe Murphy/Getty Images

Every key member of the Bulls has played a part in the team's slide. They lack edge and (apparently) motivation and are now fading at the worst possible time.

Seven of their next eight tilts come against Western Conference squads, including matchups with the San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and league-leading Golden State Warriors. A return to purpose-packed basketball will be imperative to surviving that hair-raising stretch.

"Everybody has to be on the same page," Rose told reporters Monday, per the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson. "Until then, we're going to continue to get our a-s kicked."

And so long as the Bulls are getting their butts handed to them, we can expect to see—and hear—a dour Rose.

Unless otherwise noted, all statistics via NBA.com and are current through games played on Monday, Jan. 19.