Butler is understandably frustrated
Now, let’s make this clear. Jimmy Butler is NOT the problem. If anything, he’s the solution that manages to work despite everything else around him crumbling. He has a right as the leader and superstar of the Bulls to call shenanigans when he sees it. Whether or not that should be to the media is certainly an acceptable argument to be had.
However, as we saw on Friday night, Jimmy isn’t happy. And rightfully so. He’s worked for several years to become as good a basketball player as he is for the franchise to waste his best season yet.
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Butler went 1-for-13 against the Heat, with most of those attempts coming in the form of jumpers. The usual Jimmy aggression just wasn’t there, as he only took two free throws all game, seven less than his season average, per Basketball Reference.
If Jimmy puts up a similar performance, there’s no guaranteeing a win, especially against the Sixers. Hell, there’s no guaranteeing a win if Jimmy scores 40. What are we doing here?
I have a feeling that Jimmy will bounce back, because he’s a competitor, and Friday’s game was more than likely a statement of his importance to this team. But it goes to show the incompetency of management, which Daniel wrote about yesterday, that would allow the dysfunction that’s haunted this team for this year and seasons past.