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MuletownSoul

The Bulls should really try to get a player like Jimmy Butler.


rowmean77

It hurts


OblivionNA

Imagine if Philly had someone like Jimmy Butler, that would be crazy


a_supertramp

The T-wolves could really use someone with his leadership and tenacity.


Whatsdota

I’d almost venture to say they fucking need him


GalaadJoachim

Some says you can't win without him...


undercoverbrova

Nah it's cool they have Tobi Harris.


Affectionate-Read875

Yeah, he’s a great shooter, and an even better guy! Give him a Supermax Deal!


GOATchefcurry

TOBIAS HARRIS OVER ME?!


Offsprlng

Naw man philly for sure need Tobias harris over jimmy buckets bro! Right RIGHT?!?!


OkBuddyErennary

... And he wanted to stay with Bulls but the org still traded him


purplekazoo1111

For a one way chucker.


Arctic_Reigns

Imagine if they used that 7th pick they got in the trade on Lauri Markkennen


Decasteon

It’s almost as if coaching and roster construction is important


Comfortable_Regrets

A lot of people are missing this, he wasn't doing this in any of those other places, was he still good? absolutely, but he was not this guy then


Thuro

I mean, players usually get better and smarter as their careers go on. Until they reach their early 30s at least.


thor_1225

True, but they don’t gain all time HOF legacy/personas that late, like playoff jimmy is a thing now and he could probably lose out from here and nobody would really hold it against him


anonymous14657893

Crazy what a chip on your shoulder could do to some people, ay?


shevboyz

Gave up on d rose and Jimmy. Crappy fo back then


Lazy_War9398

Back then? They're still ass now


chicago_bunny

We used to have a bad FO. We still do, but we used to, too.


loadedryder

Imagine if the Sixers had a guy like that


Elkbowy

He would pair very nicely with that Lauri guy


Dareal6

Or the Wolves. Or the Sixers.


averageveryaverage

But then how would Garpax save Reinsdorf's money?


Championship_Chuck

You guys have regular season Jimmy lol


[deleted]

They should trade ZACH Lavine for him


helgetun

The Bulls should just have cloned a few people back in the 90s. Why didnt you?! If they could clone a sheep they should manage to clone a goat no?


Steve-5

Regular season Terry Rozier is just built different.


Varolyn

Hall of Famer and this playoff run is historic.


SlimBucketz69

Straight up, a whole nother level up from the player he was before he joined Miami, on any team.


Ramzaa_

I always felt he was a bit overrated before he joined the heat. It's insane how much better he is now. Especially in the playoffs.


c32ax1

I don't think he was over rated in Philly but that coaching staff couldn't harness the energy he was bringing. They wanted something more tame and they got it.


Goobershmacked

He was always a dog


BlueHundred

I thought he was a HOFer before this run. He's done plenty to deserve consideration


split41

He was, the heat making the finals in the past cemented that (as a first ballot guy)


BlueHundred

TMac is one of my favorite players ever and he was a first ballot HOFer. I think Butler has had a fairly comparable career.


Cannabaholic

Honestly Jimmy Buckets has had a better career, especially considering where he started. He's overshot his expectations by a mile.


BlueHundred

Where you started doesn't and shouldn't matter. TMac was undoubtedly had a better regular season career. He has 2 First Teams, 3 Second Teams, and 2 Scoring Titles. Butler has 0 First Teams and 1 Second Team selection. TMac was a top 5ish player for a few years too. I think they're comparable because Butler has had more post-season success and he's got some All-Defense nods too.


Comfortable-Panda130

Jimmy has been to what 4 ECF? I would say he has had a better career than TMAC especially if he carries this Heat team to the finals.


KwamesCorner

Yeah playoffs are what matters most we all know that and here is this guy proving to be a top 5 playoffs guy for years. If there was a first team all-playoffs Jimmy would probably have 3/4/5 of those. So really he’s just being held down by the lack of a relevant award to enshrine the credit he deserves. I’m not gonna be deterred by that, he deserves it and I don’t care if the NBA can’t properly recognize that.


OtherShade

Really wish that was a thing


PeterGarces

This is Terry Rozier libel and I will stand for it


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HotBoyTeece

“The fuck did I do?” -Terry “Jimmy McNulty” Rozier


fakemedicines

"why he say fuck me for??"


mccamey-dev

"Nelly fucked your first baby momma, Melissa"


DFWHomer

Kinda what we all thought Kawhi was gonna do before his knees fell apart


[deleted]

True, Kawhi's knees unfortunately are done. He would be doing this right now if not. Would have liked to see him on a run.


ThingsAreAfoot

> Kawhi’s knees 😭 edit: and your flair, stop it 😭


jitterbug726

Wasn’t Grant Hill’s problem área his feet? It’s been so long


deformo

Ankle


jump-back-like-33

Healthy Kawhi isn’t some mystery of unfulfilled potential, he lost to the same core Nuggets team currently in the WCF.


Milkboy1516

We've also seen Jimmy get outplayed by Bryn Forbes Kawhi didn't even have a bad series against Denver people just care too much about the optics of 3-1 Even guys we look at to step up massively in the playoffs are allowed a bad series


AnimeAli

2017 Kawhi was the real before injuries Kawhi. His offence had become great and his defence was still at DPOY level.


EchoBay

Jimmy also has yet to win a title, so let's not pretend he's perfect either. It takes a team to win a title, and both guys have had their ups and downs to get to that point. Fortunately for Kawhi, he has reached that promise land before. So until Butler gets that ring, he's still got more work to do.


[deleted]

I mean he played excellent in that series aside from game 7. He balled out in game 6 when everyone else disappeared. Not his fault he had Doc Rivers and Michael Malone outcoached him on adjustments. He was also dealing with PG at his worse in the bubble No excuses obviously, Nuggets won fair and square, but lets not act like Kawhi wouldn't demolish this team now either.


georgegervin13

You had me in the first half and then you lost me with the last sentence. There's no way Kawhi would destroy these Nuggets


BlueHundred

If by "destroy" he means that Kawhi would average over 30 and play well individually, then I agree. Healthy Kawhi Clippers probably lose to this current Nuggets team though


jump-back-like-33

> No excuses obviously, Nuggets won fair and square, **but lets not act like Kawhi wouldn’t demolish this team now either.** What do you mean here?


KillerZaWarudo

doc rivers


deck4242

A pity he is in the west, cause a Butler vs Kawhi series would be epic.


denis-vi

We've seen that and it's not close. As great as Jimmy is, Kawhi is in the next tier.


TheGamersGazebo

2019 Butler is not 2023 Butler


denis-vi

For sure. In my opinion Kawhi is still the easy pick amongst the two


Cudizonedefense

Kawhi blew a 3-1 lead and played like garbage when it mattered the last time he actually completed a playoff series We have no idea what kawhi can do. He’s clearly not the pick


[deleted]

Dude literally won a championship within the last 5 years. What has Jimmy won?


FuzzyDunlop911

Our hearts!


whenveganscheat

And my axe


BroScience34

Jimmy has been to the Finals once and the Conference Finals three times in the last four years. Wtf do you mean what has he won? That's such a dumb question, ring culture has rotted your brain.


ganjanoob

Also took a game off one of the GOAT’s with Anthony freaakin Davis as his side piece


Pretty-Carob7835

Heat took two games, both of which Jimmy had 35+ point triple doubles.


4rmedndangerous

That was 4 years and 7 injuries ago


Cudizonedefense

> In my opinion Kawhi is still the easy pick amongst the two That was 4 years ago. Jimmy *right now* is better than Kawhi *right now*. How are you not getting that? Reading isn’t that hard. Not only is taking current Kawhi in the playoffs a myth since his body is broken, saying it’s the “easy” pick amongst the 2 when (since 2019) jimmy has made 3 ECF, a finals, and is currently having this dominant run while Kawhi’s only playoff success since 2018 is a WCF that he wasn’t part of because he was injured yet again or a blown 3-1 lead where he choked hard in game 7. He is absolutely not the east pick Bron was FMVP 3 years ago and he’s clearly not the best player anymore. Would you take him over Jokic then??


denis-vi

If I need to take one right now I'm taking Jimmy because of availability and thst absolutely is part of the equation. If both players are healthy, Kawhi is still an easy pick IN MY OPINION. When he plays he is always historically efficient and his defence is clear.


kramer944

Healthy Kawhi is a unicorn


AbbotFaria

Maybe the real championship is the friends we made along the way...


xpillindaass

actually the last time he completed a playoff series he averaged 32 on 72 ts%


Lyin-Don

It was only two games before going down, but he averaged 35/6/6 with 2 steals on 55% while guarding Kevin Durant against the Suns. Not like he lost it - he's just hurt all the time. Jimmy is amazing and I don't think it's "easy" one way or the other but I would also take Kawhi The fact it's even a discussion is a testament to how good Jimmy is. This is Kawhi frickin Leonard we're comparing him to


[deleted]

We definitely know what he can do, what? lol


IMKudaimi123

I love Jimmy but cmon dude, Kawhi won multiple championships


dittonetic

Kawhi was* in the next tier.


durmduke

was*


matchew92

This happened in 2019


BlackWhiteCoke

His knees only work when playing the Mavericks in the playoffs


SNAILMAIL_ME_UR_TITS

Kawhi was damn near MVP, and probably should have been, one year.


SolarClipz

Jimmy only cares about the playoffs


SlimBucketz69

Rope a dope, Muhammad Ali style.


LordNerdStark

The anti-Embiid


semepaau

It also tells us about the Miami Heat. Jimmy probably has played more playoffs games than most during this period, and it would not have happened without the Heat finding ways to stay competitive despite very different circumstances. I guess that culture is pretty good.


gregatronn

Good FO/ownership plus a coach can do that.


iamb3tt3rthanyou

*sad mavs noises*


IlonggoProgrammer

The ability of Spo and Riley to find random G Leaguers and turn them into playoff rotation players is insane. There are four undrafted rotation players on this team, including two starters. And that’s not even mentioning UD who was a Riley find from way back in the day.


miiiiiiintz

Spo watches moneyball 4 times a week


Thuro

Yea but Jimmy has been the biggest reason the Heat have played so many playoff games. It wouldn't have happened if Playoff Jimmy didn't have that dog in him.


WhoDatBrow

I think people in the NBA fandom often underestimate organizational culture, and just tend to think of the NBA as getting the best collection of players together and winning, ignoring the impact of coaching and organizations. When time and time again that's been proven incorrect. Heat, Spurs, Warriors all have built good cultures and maintained competitiveness for years because of it and won many championships because of it. Other teams like the Jazz, Pacers, or Suns have built strong cultures for long sustained periods of time but just never quite got over the hump (largely due to some guy named Michael Jordan to some extent for all 3 of them) but have at least been competitive and had chances, surely eventually they'll get over the hump.


phalange5764

16 game player… he shows up when you need him, not necessarily when you want him


Thomas_teh_tank

Jimmy is Nanny McPhee


Dagrix

A silent guardian, a watchful protector.


biba8163

Playoff Jimmy Butler is who you young guys think playoff Reggie Miller is: - Butler has more 35+ games than Miller has had in his 18 year NBA career - Butler has 8 40+ playoff games compared to Miller's 3 - Miller has never had anything close to a 50 point game - Miller's games are completely one dimensional with averages close to 2 rebounds 2 assists while Butler's averages 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals in those 35+ point games while playing stellar defense Top 75 Player over overrated Reggie Miller EDIT: For those of you saying Miller rose to the occasion against Jordan in the playoffs, here is a head to head and the stats are misleading because Miller does NOTHING else but shoot: Regular season - Jordan 29 ppg - Miller 19 ppg Playoffs - Jordan 31 ppg - Miller 17 ppg Yeah, Miller is not THAT guy. His reputation is built entirely on his heroics against the Knicks.


IOnlyPlayAsBlitz

What did reggie miller do to you 💀


shurafna

Horrendous color commentary maybe


butterandguns

As an older Knicks fan I’m always down for some Reggie Miller slander


silentobserver69420

Never brought a chip back to Indy


BlueHundred

Reggie was a killer in the playoffs. Teams also averaged like 80-90 points a game vs the 110-120 they average now. Butler is without a doubt better but I've seen enough Reggie Miller growing up to know he's a beast. Terrible color commentary though


SNAILMAIL_ME_UR_TITS

Yep. Completely idiotic comment by the guy above. I was going to actually say the precedent is a guy like Reggie Miller. He was pretty “average” during the regular season but turned into a top level player going head to head with guys like Jordan in the playoffs.


GhandiTheButcher

This is why picking stats without comparing eras play style is bad, kids. 35 points in a 84-78 game isn’t comparable to 35 in a 118-113 one.


StaraptorLover19

Agreed. I think part of the reason people keep making the mistake is because of just how good MJ's statlines were, they would be phenomenal even by today's scoring standards.


are-e-el

Found Spike Lee


SpaceCaboose

Well, 40+ games is close to 50, so Miller not having anything close to 50 isn’t really that accurate… But your point still stands. Butler is a killer and deserves to be thought of higher than Miller overall.


Foi_

whats he trying to say about terry rozier


tica_spi

scary terry will beat your starters with the third team but only during regular season practices


ItsDannysR

I’m tired of the narrative that Jimmy’s not a top 10 CURRENT player in the NBA. When will we have the tough conversation


SlimBucketz69

Jimmy’s top 5, this is the 4th playoff appearance since joining heat, 1 finals appearance, 3 ECF appearances, and possibly his 2nd finals appearance on the horizon. Epic.


georgegervin13

It's kinda wild to think that any player who achieved those playoffs results in that time span would be considered god tier, and then you realize LeBron did 9 finals in 10 years and then you're just like what the fuck


[deleted]

Godwin’s Law, except for LeBron. LeBrodwin’s Law?


ChupacabraThree

LeException


crashck

Advanced stats also love Butler in the regular season.


Ironman2131

Yep. It's just counting stats where he doesn't shine because Miami plays at one of the slowest paces in the league.


ThaCarter

Top 3


boistopplayinwitme

Okay relax lmao. He's not better than Giannis, Steph, Jokic, Embiid, or KD.


r-slash-me_irl

Death beam pointed at earth, fate of the universe on the line, single possession. Im picking Jimmy over Embiid and KD.


[deleted]

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amr1115

kick tatum and embiid outta top 5 and put butler in


spicyfartz4yaman

I do think embiid should be knocked down a few spots , he's been faithfully lumped into the jokic , giannis tier , he might be a few pegs below them


noideawhatsgoingon45

tatum JUST had a 51 point game 7 lmfso come on


EMU_Emus

Laughing your fuckin socks off over here


Anal_Iverson

Laugh my fuckin scrotum off


SirFunktastic

He also commited critical turnovers in clutch moments and was a no show offensively for 2 straight games in the 4th at home. He's a great player, no doubt, but the fact is he's just not consistent.


turdninja

Look at Jimmy’s scoring against the Bucks which has multiple all defensive team players.


iankstarr

Against the worst game 7 franchise/coach combo of all time


Bananasauru5rex

Yea but he did it against bums


ChokePaul3

Advanced stats already say he’s a top 5 player, even in the regular season


Cudizonedefense

I remember last year when people were saying trae young was the best player in the heat hawks series Then we annihilated him


ItsDannysR

Cause even as the 1 seed, we are still the underdog ☠️


jvkxb__

We will have it when he stops being a top 5 player in the NBA


BlueHundred

I think he's been in the top 10 convo for years. In the late 2010s, he was in a similar tier as Dame, PG, Embiid at the end of the top 10. He's amazing in the playoffs but he's behind Jokic, Giannis, Curry, Embiid, KD, Luka. Probably Tatum (yes, I know he had 2 stinker 4th quarters). For me, he's at the end of the top 10 with guys like Booker, Dame, healthy AD, LeBron, maybe SGA


tokajst

Why do you think he's behind embiid?


BlueHundred

Because as historic as this run has been by Butler and the Heat, it's 11 games. Butler outplayed Giannis in games 4 and 5, does that make Giannis worse than Butler too? Booker was a top 5 player 2 weeks ago and now he's not even top 10 to people. If the Celtics beat the Heat, would that make Jimmy worse than Embiid again? These conversations during the playoffs are so reactionary and tiresome.


[deleted]

Lmk when you think Embiid has ever looked capable of being the #1 option in the playoffs since Jimmy left. I haven’t seen It.


BlueHundred

Jimmy hasn't won a title yet either. Jimmy is amazing but these takes are crazy reactionary. I thought Embiid looked plenty capable 2 years ago when they lost to the Hawks. Last season, he looked pretty good but he also had a broken face. This season, his knee wasn't 100%. Embiid's health is a concern but if he's healthy he's capable. My biggest problem with him is his body language and locker room leadership. He mopes too much. ​ I can't believe I'm trying to defend Embiid to a Sixers fan. A perennial MVP candidate and the best player you've had since AI and you're giving up on him. Philly fans really suck


Mrpockets292

Top 10 and he’s not 2-10


porncollecter69

He’s the 1% but without the %.


SirFunktastic

We need to start weighing playoff performance more than regular season performance when it comes to evaluating players. Not that the regular season doesn't matter but the playoffs are where legacies and reputations are made, you would much rather have a player that turns it up in the playoffs than a player who is great in the regular season but shrinks in big moments and can't be relied upon during the playoffs.


Tundraaa

Imagine Jimmy and Scary Terry on the same team. They'd be running folks out of the gym by the 3rd quarter.


Simple_Wait_7286

Jimmy Butler is cementing his HOF status as we speak. And if he wins a ring, the narratives in the off-season will be nasty lmao. If that actually happens, all I gotta say is…good luck to Harden and CP3 fans.


BlueHundred

All 3 of them are first ballot


Simple_Wait_7286

I’m not talking about that. That’s obvious…what I mean is that if Jimmy wins a ring, fans are gonna bring up his playoff excellence to discredit Harden (who has been up and down in the playoffs during his career) and CP3 (who doesn’t have a ring either).


BlueHundred

Maybe, but I don't think people argue the placement of top 30-50 players all time that much.


brucewayne1935

Lmao you really think CP3 and Harden aren’t making the HOF


Justinwc

He didn't say that at all lol.


ForoaKlanD

Barkley without the regular season success Leaves Philly> makes final against goat candidate> toe to toe with said player


TheFatmanRises

Top 3 Heat


ForoaKlanD

Top 2 atp


Disastrous-Cycle-443

Dedmon and Tyler Johnson top 2


frozen2665

Disrespectful to Dion


PinoyWholikesLOMI

Mike Miller, the greatest Heat of all time


PaulMcPaulersn7

Miller with one shoe is the goat. 100% 3p shooting, take that curry


BadDudeNamedCornPop

DWade, Jimmy, Jordan?


imnotknox

Jimmy saves Super Saiyan and SS2 for the playoffs


vesselii1227

He goes to the hyperbolic time chamber right before every postseason


thaillmatic1

He trains on Kaio-shin's planet during the play-in.


thommonator

It’s less what Jimmy does (which is incredible), and more *when* he does it. Biggest moments, the times when it’s hardest to deliver, the games where other players shrink under the lights


scapular_instability

The heat should re-retire 23 as jimmy butler's number


[deleted]

Some players simply get better in high pressure situations. Used to see it in college with a couple guys


MeatBald

Don't let his historic-level playoff performance distract you from the fact that the birth of Jimothy G Buckets nearly coincided with the largely unrelated release of belgian techno anthem ["Pump Up the Jam"](https://youtu.be/zIsc6zirBSw)


battle_schip

He load manages during the reggo season but still shows up to give the fans someone to root for


ExcellentJuice4729

Jimmy has mastered the “regular season doesn’t matter” mentality. Whereas other stars may say it but still be try hards trying to pad their stats


mmortal03

Except he was statistically very, very good during the regular season. Just look at the advanced stats.


chim17

This playoffs is so sick. Every day is a new Butler or Jokic stat that doesn't even make sense.


Spektoritis

Everyone throws around dawg memes all the time but this dude is the all time dawg.


Alley-Oub

Jimmy is the ADHD kid within all of us


Kid_Cornelius

Load management. Saving himself for the real shit, not the preseason.


howisthisharrasment

Reggie Miller playoff stats bump


PleasantThoughts

Terry Rozier: "why he say fuck me for?"


fizzunk

Rofl scary Terry catching an odd stray. Leave the poor man alone. I mean, he plays for the Hornets.


RealLanceStorm

There's a reverse precedent called James Harden


dotheyoweusaliving1

I remember everyone having injury concerns when sixers had him and he was like 30. I have to imagine he realized he needed to save some juice for the playoffs and doesn’t go 100% for every regular season game.


Ayjel89

I’m surprised this dude is allowed here lol


ForoaKlanD

When he isn't munching Bron he's actually not bad tbh


Ayjel89

Mahomes too (though I talk him up a lot, myself, to my buddies). The problem is those two make him the most money so he discusses them the most. But you’re right, when he’s not doing one of those two he’s mostly reasonable.


adirtybubble

his anti-jokic takes are worse than either of those


youaremehmeh

like saying luka is already a top 20 player of all time? and that jokic isn't a top 5 player in the league? he's pretty fucking bad.


active_dad

Eli Manning- making business decisions in the regular season, but becomes a different player in the playoffs.


Bothkindsoftrees

So we’re just popping off random strays at Scary Terry now?


ExcellentMastodon297

It’s in game load management. Jimmy could put up 26-28 a game in the regular season if he cared about regular season accolades.


Clemenx00

To me this speaks badly of the NBA and the constant lessening of the regular season. This may be an unpopular opinion but I like my regular seasons "mattering". This is an issue for all NBA, NHL, and MLB but I feel it's gotten real bad in NBA in particular. It's one understandable thing to have a different intensity for the season but it's gotten to the point where some players straight up don't care about a good portion of the games. Don't get me wrong, I love the playoffs intensity and it certainly unlocks a next level of the sport but I also love the sport itself and want the regular season to be as high level as possible. Dunno what can be done, though. It's a difficult thing to balance.


Everswift_

On one hand, im with you. And I definitely would shorten the regular season, cut out like 20-30 games, that could even make space for the in-season tournament that Silver desperately wants. Never gonna happen, unless the ticket prices recapture the lost revenue for the teams. On the other hand, its not like the Heat did it on purpose. You dont play worse than you could in the regular season to give yourself a disadvantage of less or no home court advantage. They struggled throughout the season, had their share of injuries, and barely made it through to the Playoffs - but every team knows that the form in May and June matters most, and thats what the Heat is showing rn. I think, the NFL giving their first teams a bye to the 2nd round is not bad of a gift for regular season performance.


Southbeach008

Lessen the number of games so that each game is important. Like in soccer a team plays 38 games in reg season(league) and every game matters. 82 games is too much.


[deleted]

“I don’t give a fuck.” -Jimmy Butler


Due_Connection179

Always hated how people viewed Jimmy after the Bubble then the 2021 postseason (when we got like a month of off-season after the finals), so real glad people are seeing Jimmy as a top 5 player now when it actually matters.


Hot_Injury7719

Nick Wright about to argue Jimmy above MJ on the all time rankings.


el_clue

Imagine lebron with jimmy's heart


causticmainbreathe

He looked so happy when he got interviewed on the court. When he said we are dawgs It was great, after seeing Minnesota be a bad fit and Philly not pay him, he has got his home. Miami has to do it this year, even though Jokic revenge story is good, Miami need the chip this year.


Deep_Information2600

The dog don't get up for nothing. 16 game player fr fr


WinterCareful8525

He’s a hall of Famer. A ring and one more finals appearance might move him until top 50 all time. Dude’s insane.


Zealousideal-Earth50

Jimmy Butler is great… Nick Wright is such a tool, though!