Miami Heat’s Jimmy Butler addresses Damian Lillard, NBA rule
BOCA RATON – Jimmy Butler’s NBA orbit is like the moon, seemingly different phases on a daily basis.
So at Monday’s media day there was “Emo” Jimmy, with the straightened hair and mock piercings. At Tuesday’s first day of training camp, it was Silent Jimmy, bypassing interviews. Then, on Wednesday, as the team’s drill work continued at Florida Atlantic University, there was Candid Jimmy.
That opened a window into and translations of the unique world of the Miami Heat’s unique forward, who last season again showed that the ultimate Jimmy is Playoff Jimmy.
This time, Butler:
– Said his “emo” state persists in mind if no longer in body.
– Downplayed his social-media comment about the Milwaukee Bucks tampering with their trade for Damian Lillard.
– And brushed aside the NBA’s new rules implemented to get star plays on the court more often.
Through it all, as he sat shirtless and sweat drenched on a folding chair alongside the FAU bleachers, it was Butler doing what he enjoys doing best – controlling the narrative.
Of his extreme fashion “emo” makeover on media day, followed by his mundane braids now that he is back on the court, Butler said it’s all about the mood of the moment.
“The fire still burns,” he said. “I felt like some braids today. Who knows what I might come in with tomorrow? My hairstylist, Flo, is phenomenal, so she makes the magic happen. So I think it’s more for everybody, including myself, to never know what’s expected next.”
So a troll job?
“I don’t troll people,” he said, smiling. “I’m minding my business. I’m not bothering anybody. People just like to pay attention to what I’m doing. People care about me a little bit, I guess.”
There certainly was attention after the Bucks acquired Lillard in the wake of Lillard having requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Heat.
At the time, Butler had posted on Instagram, “Yo NBA, y’all need to look into the Bucks for tampering. Y’all do… I’m just going to put that out there . . . Y’all didn’t hear it from me. But I heard through somebody. Y’all look at them for tampering.”
Wednesday, Butler insisted there was no tangible context.
“I just say stuff all the time on my socials,” he said. “It’s funny, because nobody ever knows what I’m doing. So it’s a big deal whenever I do do something on social besides play dominoes and go to tennis matches. So if I say check somebody for tampering, I guess everybody takes it serious,”
Butler, however, has been serious in his desire for the Heat to upgrade supporting talent, with the Heat in the past week losing out on both Lillard and Jrue Holiday.
But Wednesday, he said he had moved on from that, as well, even as he took a playful shot at incoming Bucks coach Adrian Griffin, who had been an assistant with the Bulls when Butler played in Chicago.
“I’m happy for both of those guys,” he said of Lillard and Holiday. “I’m more pissed off that (Lillard) went to Milwaukee, because he went to Adrian Griffin’s team, and everybody knows I don’t like Adrian Griffin at all, since my Chicago days. But I’m happy for Milwaukee. They got better, so he gives us the opportunity to be better.”
The Heat face Holiday and the Celtics in their second game of the regular season and Lillard and the Bucks in their fourth.
As for the NBA altering rules in the offseason to require at least 65 games played for postseason awards and mandating star players be available in back-to-back sets and for nationally televised games when not injured, Butler said he will continue to abide by his body.
Asked how many appearances he wanted to make during the season, Butler said ten.
“That’s it,” he said, ” the number ten.”
Butler appeared in 64 games last season and was named second-team All-NBA.
“I don’t care about no All-NBA team,” he said. “I don’t give a damn about no damn awards. I’m going to play games that I’m healthy, that I’m going to out there and I’m going to help my team win.
“They can put a number on whatever they want to put a number with. Everybody can hate me, I’m still going to eat dinner with my kid at night. So that’s all I care.”
