No one knows Jimmy Butler better than Tom Thibodeau since the Knicks coach had him under his orders at the Bulls, then he pushed hard to bring him to Wolves where Tom Thibodeau had the double GM/coach hat. Minnesota had found the playoffs after 14 years of waiting! But the experience had come to an end because Jimmy Butler couldn’t stand being surrounded by young talents who weren’t giving their all.
Jimmy Butler can’t stand the attitude of young talents
“Am I hard on KAT? Yes ! I am like this. I’m not the most talented player in the team. That it is ? KAT. Who received the biggest gift at birth? Wigs. He has the longest arms, the longest hands, he jumps higher, runs faster. But who plays the hardest? Me “ he explained at the time. “I play hard, I play very hard, I give my all in every practice, every game, it’s my passion, it’s what I give to basketball, it’s how I show that I’m there for my teammates. »
After his transfer to Philadelphia, Jimmy Butler had recounted his last training session where Thibodeau had forced him to train. “I was talking in the office with the managers and Thibs (Tom Thibodeau), and they’re like, ‘Hey, you need to come practice.’ I answer them: ‘Thibs, why come to train? You will transfer me!’ Because it was always the same refrain: ‘We almost have a deal, we almost have a deal…’ […] Vis-à-vis this imposed training, firstly, I have a real problem with authority. I have a problem with whoever tells me to do something. »
Jimmy Butler ended up executing despite everything, because he wants to, he says. But the matter does not stop there: if Wolves want to see him in training, they must line him up… with the substitutes. “No, you are going to play with the holders”, we retort. “No way, Butler insists, I’m going to play with the third knives. »
Training begins and the winger stays true to himself by chambering at all costs. “No one can stop me”, “no one can beat me”… Surrounded by G-League players, Jimmy Butler wins against the incumbents, and he only took one shot during this “scrimmage”: ‘Oh yes, I was dominating but I only shot once’. Assist, once, twice, three times, interceptions, blocks…”
He asks to defend on Karl-Anthony Towns
This week, Jeff Teague told his version of the facts. He was the starting point guard for Wolves at the time, and he remembers that session vividly. “To offend them, I would say that he was surrounded by all those who were not going to be part of the team” remembers former All-Star point guard. “In the in-between, he said, ‘I’m taking KAT’ and I was like, ‘Oh, shit’. Jimmy and KAT don’t like each other. This is another part of the story that I will touch on one day. They don’t like each other. It’s very funny when they don’t like each other. They do the in-between. We give the ball to KAT on the first action. Jimmy steals it. They go up the field and score. And here we are: ‘Come on KAT, post his little ass, man! He cannot defend on you”.
Opposite, Jimmy hears and responds: “Get out of here, it’s shit”. And Butler intercepts the ball again and his team scores a second basket. “Jimmy started talking to the GM, to everyone in the room, ‘You better pay me! I am like this’ “ continues Jeff Teague. “I thought to myself, ‘He’s crazy. I laughed, not realizing what was about to happen. I laugh with D-Rose. We’re in the game, we keep giving the ball to KAT, and he finally scores. »
And there, Karl-Anthony Towns begins to chamber Jimmy Butler: ” It’s too small “ he swings! ” Go ahead KAT, answer that motherfucker! It’s worth nothing” throws Jeff Teague at him, before resuming his story “They went 10-0. They make dunks, make 3-pointers. Jimmy didn’t score at all. He was content to steal balls, to make decisive passes, to play as it should. But he does everything. Time ran out, they beat us 18-6.”
He cut the word “Minnesota” on the jersey and the shorts!
We think the anecdote is over but the best is yet to come…
“Jimmy went crazy: ‘Do you think this team can win without me? Pay me! Pay me!’, says Jeff Teague. “He hadn’t taken off his chasuble yet and he’s finally taking it off. Underneath, he wears the Wolves jersey, but he has cut the ‘Minnesota’ so that only his torso is visible. He cut the “Minnesota” on the shorts, and he ends up with a hole in the middle of his jersey and another in the middle of his leg, and I cry laughing. I said to myself: ‘Put…, my friend is crazy’. But I didn’t realize he had just beaten us with the G-League team. »
With his shirt and shorts torn, Jimmy Butler bedroom: “ I just beat them with the G-League players. Is that your starting five? “So there, I’m fed up, I’m still crying with laughter” continues Jeff Teague. “But I realized he was talking about me. I’m one of the starters, and I was like, ‘Wait! He pissed me off ‘! “.
While training continues, Jimmy Butler goes to tell everything to ESPN!
Jeff Teague says the incumbents wanted a rematch. But Tom Thibodeau prefers to see Jimmy Butler’s team face other substitutes. Jimmy Butler’s team wins again, and when the starters are ready to play, the troublemaker rushes into the locker room.
Training continues without him, and the best, or rather, the worst is yet to come for Wolves as Jimmy Butler is already on ESPN to tell about the training. “We still had an hour of practice. We all shower, we go to the locker room, and ESPN is on. Rachel Nichols and Jimmy Butler are on TV, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I just killed them all in practice and I think that’s a good thing. »
