Tom Thibodeau has a singular perspective on Jimmy Butler’s newest act of defiance, however the coach mentioned it’s none of his enterprise.
“I love Jimmy, but I’m not his coach,” Thibodeau mentioned. “I’ve got enough to worry about here.”
Butler was suspended indefinitely by the Miami Warmth on Monday after abruptly leaving the staff’s morning shootaround, reportedly as a response to information that he was faraway from the beginning lineup.
Butler has already demanded a commerce — prioritizing the Phoenix Suns as a vacation spot — and, though the Warmth are amenable, dealing a extremely paid 35-year-old and recurring headache is predictably evolving slowly.
The saga, as league sources mentioned, is holding up different commerce negotiations earlier than the Feb. 6 commerce deadline.
If this all sounds acquainted, it’s as a result of Butler pulled an analogous stunt in 2018 with the Timberwolves.
His coach was Thibodeau and Butler stormed out of a apply earlier than publicly demanding a commerce.
Requested Monday how Butler’s persona lends itself to such drama, Thibodeau repeated, “I have enough to worry about here.”
Jalen Brunson let Josh Hart off the hook.
After going backwards and forwards a few potential wager for the NFC Championship sport (Brunson is an Eagles fan, Hart helps the Commanders), the purpose guard mentioned he didn’t make his teammate pay up.
That they had mentioned the loser exhibiting as much as MSG in Eagles or Commanders gear, relying on who gained. The Eagles, after all, pummeled the Commanders.
“I let him live,” Brunson mentioned. “I’m a good friend.”
The Knicks bench put up huge numbers for a second straight sport, combining for 50 factors behind 14 apiece from Valuable Achiuwa and Miles McBride.
“It’s just playing the right way, coming out, trusting each other, playing fast,” Achiuwa mentioned. “I think a lot of that is playing fast in transition and taking advantage of what the defense gives us, shooting wide-open shots and everybody just sharing the ball.”
When it comes to minutes distribution, there aren’t two extra divergent groups than the Knicks and Grizzlies.
As properly documented, the Knicks entered Monday with three gamers within the NBA’s high six in minutes per sport and 4 of the NBA’s high 5 in complete minutes.
The Grizzlies?
That they had zero gamers averaging greater than half-hour, as coach Taylor Jenkins constructed a system round velocity and contemporary legs.
“It’s not a magical number that we want to keep guys below 30. Sometimes it works out that way. But we definitely have leaned into more 10-man, especially 11-man rotations,” Jenkins mentioned. “We want to be the most intense-playing team, the fastest-playing team. … Having more fresher bodies [helps that].”
