Jimmy Butler’s Appearance on The Bill Simmons Podcast

Bulls star Jimmy Butler spoke for an hour or so with The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, a former analyst for ESPN NBA Countdown and the former owner of the now-defunct Grantland.com. The duo spoke on an array of topics, including Butler’s chances of playing for Team USA in the Summer Olympics and the recent trade rumors.

Bill Simmons is one of the more polarizing figures in the NBA fan/media community. Some people like him and his wacky theories and ideas surrounding the NBA as a whole.

Jimmy Butler became one of the more polarizing figures in the city of Chicago this past season. Some fans believe he’s the best option for the Bulls moving forward as their centerpiece, while others want him traded on draft night this coming Thursday night.

So fittingly, the two sat down to record a podcast together for Simmons’ new site The Ringer and talked about many different topics, including the recent trade rumors surrounding Butler.

Before Butler’s ascension to among the elite players in the NBA:

• An interesting nugget that was talked about early in the podcast was Butler’s time at Marquette after transferring from junior college. Butler mentioned that his former coach Buzz Williams usually played a five-guard lineup with Butler as a small-ball four. Butler spoke on how he went from just a rebounder and a tough defender there to “having guys pass me the ball now” in the NBA with the Bulls.

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Jimmy Butler was almost a Boston Celtic in the 2011 NBA Draft:

• Being that Simmons is the biggest Boston “superfan”, there wasn’t any doubt of him mentioning that the C’s had Butler on their big board back in the 2011 NBA Draft. Butler said that he thought he might land there, but then Simmons mentioned that the Celtics took Providence guard MarShon Brooks and then traded him for former Purdue big JaJuan Johnson. “That was a terrible trade,” Simmons said. (Butler went five picks after Brooks to the Bulls at No. 30.)

“Jae Crowder cannot guard me.” -Jimmy Butler

• A humorous part of the podcast was when Simmons brought up current Celtics wing Jae Crowder — a former Marquette player like Butler — and Butler had a little fun with the conversation. “Jae Crowder cannot guard me,” Butler claimed. He mentioned that they played together for a season at Marquette and that there’s “probably some clips” out there of Butler torching Crowder on the floor. (Butler had a 38-point performance against the C’s this season.)

Best team Butler played against this past season?

• The two teams that Butler mentioned when Simmons asked this was the Golden State Warriors (who beat the Bulls by 31 in one of their meetings this year) and the Atlanta Hawks (who the Bulls haven’t beaten since 2011, or maybe it’s just me that thinks/feels that).

Tom Thibodeau

• There wasn’t any doubt about Simmons asking Butler about his former head coach, Tom Thibodeau. “I have zero bad things to say about him,” Butler said. Simmons asked if he’s rooting for Thibodeau in Minnesota and said that he’s “rooting for the Bulls”. “I’ma try and kick his a**,” Butler said, which felt a little sarcastic, true and funny at the same time.

Playing too many minutes?

• Butler appeared to sound passionate on this topic when he and Simmons discussed it. “You want your best players on the floor,” Butler said. He and Simmons brought up a hypothetical situation with Kevin Durant starting a game perfect and sticking to a minutes count with planned rest. “What if you want to give him a five-minutes break in the second quarter, right, but he started off the game 12-for-12 … do you still give him a five-minute break,” Butler asked.

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Bulls front office talking to Butler more?

• When Simmons got in to talking about the Bulls more, he had a couple accurate thoughts on Nikola Mirotic, but an interesting note from the podcast as a whole was when Butler mentioned how he speaks with the Bulls front office.

Butler on Derrick Rose:

• “I think that we will see that this season,” Butler said. Simmons asked Butler if he thinks he and Rose can play together moving forward and Butler supported the thought that they can make it work.

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Everything goes back to Iowa State.

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Butler on his chances of making Team USA’s roster and his “attitude change”:

Butler’s a big fan of Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and draft prospect Jaylen Brown:

• Simmons asked about the younger crop of players in the NBA and who Butler liked across the league. One named he mentioned was Devin Booker. “I like that kid,” Butler said. He also mentioned playing against draft prospect (and likely top-10 pick) Jaylen Brown over this summer. (Hey, Phoenix is high the lottery, Bulls … just saying.)

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Butler really didn’t go into too much detail about a lot of things. He mentioned that he doesn’t pay too much attention to rumors and things said in the media (which was one of the many “political” answers he and Simmons had brief laughs about).

The more interesting aspects of the podcast in my opinion was Butler talking about the front office asking for his opinion on things and Team USA. They likely don’t have the greatest relationship in the world, but I don’t Gar Forman and John Paxson (or whoever higher up) would be asking for his opinions on anything if was a guy they sent to the NBA Draft Lottery and then just sent him elsewhere.

Also, with some big names dropping out of the Team USA sweepstakes, there’s a legitimate chance that Butler represents the United States in Rio later this summer.