Rajon Rondo rips Bulls veterans in scathing Instagram post

One night after Chicago Bulls veterans Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade lit into their teammates about effort and playing unselfishly, veteran point guard Rajon Rondo had his own pointed response for his All-Star teammates.

“My veterans would never go to the media. They would come to the team. My vets didn’t pick and choose when they wanted to bring it. They brought it every time they stepped in the gym whether it was practice or a game. They didn’t take days off. My vets didn’t care about their numbers. My vets played for the team. When we lost, they wouldn’t blame us. They took responsibility and got in the gym.”

“They showed the young guys what it meant to work. Even in Boston when we had the best record in the league, if we lost a game, you could hear a pin drop on the bus. They showed us the seriousness of the game. My vets didn’t have an influence on the coaching staff. They couldn’t change the plan because it didn’t work for them. I played under one of the greatest coaches and he held everyone accountable. It takes 1-15 win. When you isolate everyone, you can’t win consistently. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a bad teammate. My goal is to pass what I learned along. The young guys work. They show up. They don’t deserve blame. If anything is questionable, it’s the leadership.”

Rondo’s blistering Instagram caption came beneath a photo of himself, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. That trio, along with Ray Allen and coach Doc Rivers, won the 2008 title.

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The Bulls have been the victim of inconsistent play all season, and it came to a head on Wednesday night after blowing a 10-point lead with three minutes left vs. the Atlanta Hawks. Butler and Wade, who combined for 73 points, each blasted their teammates for a perceived lack of effort.

“Everyone don’t care enough,” Wade said. “You got to care enough, man. It’s got to mean that much to you to want to win. And it doesn’t. … It just doesn’t mean enough to guys around here to win ballgames. It pisses me off, but I can’t be frustrated, and I can’t care too much for these guys. They have to care for themselves. You got to do better.”

Wade lambasted his teammates for not hurting enough after painful losses. Butler, whose ascendancy to NBA superstardom has largely carried the Bulls, voiced a similar sentiment.

“(Expletive) just got to care if we win or lose,” Butler said. “On top of everything else, just play every possession like it’s your last. We don’t play hard all the time. …I want to play with guys that care, guys that play hard, that want to do well for this organization, that want to win games. Who cares who is shining?"

Word traveled quickly that the Bulls’ best two players had blasted the rest of the team. Guard Jerian Grant tweeted a more mild response on Wednesday night.

Follow Michael Singer on Twitter @msinger.