The Chicago Bulls continue to solidify their status as true championship contenders with an impressive 114-105 victory against another Western Conference powerhouse. With the win last night against the Houston Rockets, the Bulls have now won 10 of their last 11 games and currently own the second best record in the Eastern Conference. Much of the success that the Bulls have enjoyed this season can be attributed to the meteoric rise of Jimmy Butler from role player to an almost lock all-star selection. Butler’s ascension has been noticed beyond the inner circles of Chicago. In fact, two of Butler’s most recent opponents, both perennial all-stars, highly praised Butler for his improvement this season.
Jan 1, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Prior to Monday nights contest, two of the Rocket’s best players had some very high praise for Chicago Bull’s rising star Jimmy Butler. The soft-spoken 4th year guard out of Marquette has been the revelation of the 2014-2015 season. His 21.9 point per game average this season is a career best and players around the league are starting to notice his rapid ascent towards stardom. Perennial all-star Dwight Howard delivered the assertion that Butler deserves MVP consideration.
"“Jimmy is, gosh, he should be up there in the MVP running.He’s playing great basketball. He’s been one of the most consistent Bulls players all season. He’s scoring, he’s playing defense, he’s making game winners, he’s having an unbelievable season and it’s like, where did he come from?"
King James Gospel
James Harden, a teammate of Howard on the Rockets, echoed Dwight’s thoughts on Jimmy Butler. Like Howard, Harden has been impressed with the vast improvement that Jimmy has shown this season.
"“He’s gotten a lot better,” Harden said of Butler. “I think offensively he’s in attack mode. He’s being aggressive, I’m sure his teammates have a lot of confidence in him in shooting the basketball and then getting to the rim. Defensively, he’s always been active and a pretty good defender so he’s playing very well right now.”"
Butler backed up the praise he received from his two opponents with another spectacular performance against Houston Monday night. In a hefty 41 minutes of playing time, Butler accumulated 22 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals all while playing great defense on James Harden. Although Gasol may steal the headlines with his game high 27 points, Butler remains the constant offensive and defensive presence for a team that has now won 10 of their last 11 games. His importance to the success of this team can not be underplayed, and that is why any serious MVP discussion must include Jimmy Butler’s name.