2018-19 NBA Thread

[33anda3rd]

By RPM or by the fact that they were #3 in the West when he went down then needed him to come back and get them in the way layoffs in Game 82 or whatever metric you want to apply Jimmy is top 10. He dominates both ends.

[thrill]

I'm not going to put a ton of effort into researching this, but I've watched a ton of Jimmy Butler basketball and it's perfectly ok to call him "top 10" because he's probably somewhere in the 8-16 range depending on form/health and his role on his team.

[Socnorb11]

By RPM or by the fact that they were #3 in the West when he went down then needed him to come back and get them in the way layoffs in Game 82 or whatever metric you want to apply Jimmy is top 10. He dominates both ends.

For the record, RPM says that Lebron was the 12th best player in the NBA last year. I'm not buying that.

By every other advanced measure, Butler is top 20, but definitely not top 10.

Minnesota was obviously a better team with Butler on the court, because he was far better than his replacement.

[cardsfansince82]

There’s 30 NBA teams and 16 of them make the playoffs. Even if Butler is towards the back end of the top 20, that’s still a guy you absolutely expect to build a playoff team around. A legit contender is a different story.

Re: timing
I think he just saw it work for his buddy Kyrie and assumed he could do the same without putting much thought into it. NBA teams generally cave on a trade demand rather than pay a guy that doesn’t want to be there. He won’t necessarily go where he wants, but he’ll get moved.

[33anda3rd]

By RPM or by the fact that they were #3 in the West when he went down then needed him to come back and get them in the way layoffs in Game 82 or whatever metric you want to apply Jimmy is top 10. He dominates both ends.

For the record, RPM says that Lebron was the 12th best player in the NBA last year. I'm not buying that.

By every other advanced measure, Butler is top 20, but definitely not top 10.

Minnesota was obviously a better team with Butler on the court, because he was far better than his replacement.

Not a “better team” though. 3rd in the Big Boy Conference. Awesome with him. Terrible without. I think he’s elite.

[InvincibleCakeEater]

[MAGA]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

There goes about half my Kobe mystique.

[33anda3rd]

The Butler Saga Keeps Getting Better.

Butler was vociferous and intense throughout the scrimmages, targeting president of basketball operations and coach Tom Thibodeau, general manager Scott Layden and teammates, including Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, league sources said.

As the GM watched on the sidelines during a scrimmage, sources said that Butler yelled to Layden: "You f---ing need me, Scott. You can't win without me."

Supposedly per people who where there he dunked on KAT and screamed "SOFT" at him, then stared down Wiggins and yelled "SOFTER." All while playing with the third string and running the starters off the floor with them. Also reportedly the non-KAT non-Wiggins players at the gym were kind of energized by it.

Then Jimmy talks to ESPN and is wholly unapologetic.

Butler: KAT came at me. We're up in practice and he said, "Anybody can get this work!" I said, "Do it to me." That's all that I said. I said, "Every time I get switched out onto you, you pass it." I'm a competitor, I'm in here talking, come at me. If you score on me, I'm gonna tap you on your butt. You got the best of me -- but you got to do it every time. Am I being tough on him? Yeah! Yeah, that's who I am. I'm not the most talented player. Who's the most talented player on our team? KAT. Who's the most god-gifted player on our team? Wigs. Wigs got the longest arms, the biggest hands, can jump the highest, can run the fastest. But like who plays the hardest? Me. I play hard. I play really hard. I put my body on the line every damn practice. Every day in the games. That's my passion. That's how I give to the game. That's how I give to you guys.

And right now I know Thibs and he's in there by himself, he locked his door and he's smiling and he's laughing. [Looks at camera] Thibs, I know you man, I know you. He's like, "Yeah, I've got him back."

Also says he told Tibs four days after they were eliminated from the playoffs how he felt about the team, so his trade demand is maybe not as last-minute as was thought.

[cardsfansince82]

I don’t particularly care one way or the other about Butler, but the mental image of him rolling into practice to punk their entire organization from top to bottom on his way out the door is hilarious.

[Jocephus]

is there a particular reason he doesn't like it there? are they not a good team? are KAT and wiggins not good teammates? contract reasons? apologies if this was made clear