Make it stop: Butler's Minnesota saga has taken too many wrong turns
Jimmy Buckets seems to have a new nickname: General Soreness.
Butler's Minnesota saga has taken a few more awkward turns.
He is now picking and choosing which games he feels healthy enough to play, and he made another Twitter splash by waving a towel from the bench during Friday's loss, mimicking Golden State fans.
Butler sat out Sunday when the Timberwolves played at Portland. He has skipped three games this season and played in seven and generally done well when he does take the court, averaging 22.3 points.
At the same time, there has been no actual injury listed, which is why general soreness has entered the vocabulary. When he sat out Wednesday against Utah (which turned out to be Derrick Rose's 50-point game), there was speculation Butler is trying to hasten a trade.
Maybe he is hurt, but enough has happened to make people wonder.
"I'm not worried about no deal," Butler said this weekend, referring to his trade demand, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "Injured or not, I have to take care of myself. … I've been hurt almost every year now. We're going to take this thing with caution."
I've generally been supportive of Butler during his NBA career. He was always great theater.
The story of his life was inspirational, a homeless teen at times, unrecruited before making his way to Marquette via junior college. He's just a kid from Tomball, Texas, he reminded reporters about 1,000 times during his Bulls tenure.
His rise from the No. 30 overall draft pick to playoff ironman to all-star to Most Improved Award winner was impressive.
If he was a little obsessed with self-promotion, that was understandable. That's the way it goes in the NBA, and star power has made the league as popular as it is.
Butler probably had a right to look around the locker room and wonder, "Why don't these guys work as hard as I do?" The calling out of teammates in concert with Dwyane Wade two years ago didn't bother me. A little tough love never hurt anyone.
Even this year, when Butler ended his Minnesota holdout by showing up at practice and trash-talking his way through a dominant scrimmage performance, it was good entertainment, even watching from afar. His teammates should have appreciated the intensity.
The holdout itself, though, is tough to justify.
If Butler doesn't want to play in Minnesota, that's fine. All he has to do is finish this season, become an unrestricted free agent next summer and go wherever he wants. Remember Kevin Durant's much-criticized jump to Golden State? He played a full final season in Oklahoma City and nearly, probably should have, beat the Warriors in the Western Conference finals.
There may not have been much of a future for Butler in Minnesota, anyway.
Right or wrong, the Timberwolves made huge commitments to Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. They owe both players $33 million in the 2022-23 season. I'm guessing that will turn out wrong, for the record.
By playing only when he feels like it, Butler basically is disregarding all the fans who bought tickets to cheer for him, who help pay for his $20 million salary and were excited about the way he helped lead Minnesota to the playoffs last season.
It has been a great run so far, from Tomball to country music-loving NBA star. But Butler should change direction before he spoils his own story.
• Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls
Bulls game day
Bulls vs. New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 6:30 p.m. Monday
TV: WGN
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Outlook: The Knicks have done a little better than the Bulls, with a 3-6 record heading into Sunday's game at Washington. PF Kristaps Porzingis is recovering from a torn ACL and won't be back until late this season, if at all. SF Tim Hardaway Jr. is an early candidate for Most Improved Player, leading New York at 25.1 ppg. C Enes Kanter is averaging 14.1 points and 10.3 rebounds. The Knicks have a couple of surprises in 6-foot-6 Damyean Dotson, a second-year shooting guard from Houston, and rookie SG Allonzo Trier from Arizona. Both are averaging in double figures. Top draft pick Kevin Knox is out with an ankle injury. The Bulls went 3-1 against the Knicks last season, splitting two games at MSG.
Next: New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center, 7 p.m. Wednesday
- Mike McGraw