(PHOTO CREDIT: Harrison Barden/USA Today.)
We can talk about the Warriors/Jazz game being the best regular season game since… well… probably Warriors/Thunder in February 2016 when Stephen Curry made that 38-footer to win it in OT. But I digress.
This is about Jimmy Butler. The one that was booed during the intros and then got MVP chants later. Fans are fickle.
But yeah, I’m not saying I wouldn’t want Jimmy Butler on my team. As with everything, this needs context.
I’ve seen some people say that they don’t want Butler on their team. I GET it but I also don’t get not thinking about it. I think nearly every player in the NBA fits somewhere in a team. We’ve seen malcontents fit in just fine with teams. Granted, it’s normally a very good team that can “withstand” those personalities. But it’s really just about fitting in the right environment and the right people. Just like any other workplace!
Dennis Rodman did not fit into the strict San Antonio Spurs franchise in the middle. The Spurs were so eager to get rid of him that they took in Will Perdue for a deal. Rodman was with the Bulls. He had a bit more carte blanche with Chicago and he helped Chicago win three more championships.
Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) went to Sacramento and then Houston after an acrimonious exit from Indiana. He went to the Lakers and became one of the more beloved figures in L.A. The Lakers don’t win the 2010 NBA championship without Ron.
Zach Randolph bounced around a bit after leaving Portland (his group being known as the JailBlazers). Then he got dealt to Memphis and he fit in seamlessly. He became an admired figure in that city as he helped the Grizzlies become a Western powerhouse. The organization loved him so much that his jersey number will be the first to be retired by the franchise.
Of course, there are also ones that backfire. After going to the Eastern Conference Finals six straight times, the Pistons thought that maybe Allen Iverson could put them over the hump. That didn’t really happen and it worked wonders for the Denver Nuggets (who got Chauncey Billups in a trade) as they made the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 24 years. The Pistons got waxed in the first round.
There’s a big chance Butler will leave Minnesota in the near future. I think it’s a tad foolish to say you wouldn’t want Jimmy Butler on a team because, again, the right environment can make him happy. Of course, you can possibly risk chemistry issues and the like but good teams take a risk or five now and then, right?
I just ask for general managers to make… not-so-dumb deals.
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
His podcast is at Rey-Rey Is Fundamental.