Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler, Gar Forman Address Rajon Rondo Comments

After Rajon Rondo responded to critical comments made by Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler regarding their Chicago Bulls teammates, Wade, Butler and general manager Gar Forman addressed the situation Friday.

Forman stressed his dismay to reporters about the manner in which the players showed their frustration: "We were extremely disappointed several players chose to speak out. Every team has issues. Important to keep in-house. Unacceptable."

Per ESPN.com's Nick Friedell, Forman declined to take any questions from the media after offering his statement on the matter.

When asked about the situation, Butler told reporters, "I like controversy."

Butler followed that up, however, with remorse for his actions: "I talk to people all the time. I still shouldn't have did it."

After the Bulls lost to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, Wade suggested to the media that some of his teammates didn't want to win badly enough: "I don't know what happened. But we continue to be in these kinds of situations and lose games like this. Everyone don't care enough. You got to care enough, man. It's got to mean that much to you to want to win. And it doesn't. So I don't know what happened. I don't know how you fix it.

"It just doesn't mean enough to guys around here to want to win ballgames," Wade continued. "It pisses me off, but I can't be frustrated and I can't care too much for these guys. That have to care for themselves. You got to do better. You got to do better with knowing where your shot's coming and knock them down. You got to do better with knowing film, knowing personnel. Just as a team, just got to do better, man."

Butler echoed D-Wade's sentiments: "Motherf--kers just got to care if we win or lose. At the end of the day, do whatever it takes to help the team win. You play your role to the tee. Be a star in your role, man. That's how you win in this league, man. You have to embrace what this team, what this organization needs for you to do on either end of the floor. On top of everything else, just play every possession like it's your last. We don't play hard all the time. It's very disappointing whenever we don't play hard."

In response to the comments, Rondo posted the following on his Instagram account and wrote about how Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce handled similar situations when he played for the Boston Celtics:

When Wade was asked about Rondo's response, he made it clear he wasn't trying to hurt any of his teammates: "I have no ill intentions toward anybody."

Per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Wade and Butler both implied they were fined an undisclosed amount for their comments. Also, Rondo confirmed to Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago that he was fined.

Rondo didn't back down from his Instagram post in speaking to reporters and suggested he was standing up for some of the younger players: "I said what I said. People can take it how they want it. It wasn't a rant. ... I wasn't trying to be the bad guy, but some of the young guys don't have a platform."

Wade and Butler were benched against the Miami Heat on Friday, the Bulls announced. Friedell reported the decision was a disciplinary move due to the comments.

Chicago is currently clinging to eighth place in the Eastern Conference at 23-24. It holds a one-game cushion on a playoff spot and is 4-6 over its past 10 games.

The Bulls missed the playoffs in 2015-16 and underwent an offseason transformation that saw them trade Derrick Rose and let both Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah leave in free agency. They also signed Wade and Rondo.

Chicago has struggled to gain its footing in a conference that is wide open outside of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the comments from by Wade, Butler and Rondo suggest there is a major divide within the team.