Many in the current generation associate Jimmy Butler most with the Miami Heat. However, one cannot overlook his journey with the Chicago Bulls, who selected him as the 30th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. “Jimmy Buckets” had a rather slow start to his career, playing limited minutes.
Nonetheless, Butler showed potential, especially on the defensive end. The Marquette product’s efforts and hustle earned him an All-Defensive second team in 2014. Taking up a larger role on the team, the 6’7″ forward developed into a consistent scorer, showcasing his two-way abilities.
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Butler’s 2014-15 breakout season led him to be crowned the Most Improved Player of the Year. In the following years, the former Bulls forward became a perennial All-Star player, making the All-NBA and All-Defensive Team. Showing early signs of “Playoff Jimmy” during this period.
Despite his emergence as a star player, Butler’s ceiling remained at the conference semi-final. Not satisfied with how the front office approached things, the six-time All-Star even questioned some of his teammates’ desire to win. Eventually traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2017.
While there were all kinds of speculations as to what led to the fallout between Butler and the Bulls, Scottie Pippen once gave his take on the matter.
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“In Chicago, he (Butler) didn’t handle it very well. I don’t think he handled it right from a leadership standpoint of what it takes to be a superstar,” revealed Pippen.
When prodded further, Pip was selective with his words, protecting the locker room culture.
“Well, it’s just a lot of locker room talk that Jimmy was disrespecting the head coach, disrespecting the assistant coach. Just wasn’t showing the type of leadership that you’d expect from your best player,” mentioned the Hall of Famer, who played 12 seasons for the Bulls and was pivotal in bringing six championships to Chicago.
Butler’s unpleasant exit from the Bulls
The veteran forward’s stint with the Chicago franchise could be best described as bittersweet. Beginning his pro basketball journey with the Bulls, “Jimmy Buckets” achieved significant growth as a player. Sadly, as time passed, the two sides drifted apart due to their different outlooks.
Some of the episodes that led to the break-up included Butler publicly criticizing coach Fred Hoiberg for his laid-back attitude. Murmurs about there being tensions between the 6’7″ forward and his teammates, Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, made headlines.
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Butler’s hyper competitiveness didn’t sit well with some of the younger teammates, too. Adding a financial angle to the narrative was “Playoff Jimmy” not getting a supermax. The Bulls star felt Chicago was trying to get him for cheap, knowing his worth very well.
A recurring issue in Butler’s case
If one were to observe Butler’s career arc, there seems to be a consistent pattern when it comes to the 35-year-old having messy departures. After Chicago, the All-NBA forward faced a similar situation with his Minnesota teammates as well, especially Karl-Anthony Towns.
Eventually traded to Philly, where “Jimmy Buckets” had a run-in with former coach Brett Brown. Leading to his most recent split with the Miami Heat after a fair share of success. Three issues that seem to have been recurrent in Butler’s case are his disagreements with the coaching style, the competitive approach of his teammates and financial negotiations.
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Currently, with the Warriors, one hopes things don’t get unpleasant in the Bay Area, considering it one of the most well-run organizations in the league. At the same time, Butler is happy to play second fiddle to Stephen Curry, who is highly revered across the league and by fans.