One day after being traded from the Bulls to the Timberwolves during Friday's NBA Draft, Jimmy Butler spoke to the Chicago Sun-Times about his future in Minnesota and the drama he will be leaving behind despite being told he was the face of the franchise in Chicago.
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"It doesn't mean a damn thing,'' Butler told the Sun-Times on Saturday in a phone interview. "I guess being called the face of an organization isn't as good as I thought. We all see where being the so-called face of the Chicago Bulls got me.
So let me be just a player for the Timberwolves, man. That's all I want to do. I just want to be winning games. Do what I can for my respective organization and let them realize what I'm trying to do.
"Whatever they want to call me … face … I don't even want to get into that anymore. Whose team is it? All that means nothing. You know what I've learned? Face of the team, eventually you're going to see the back of his head as he's leaving town, so no thanks.''
Butler went to his third straight All-Star game this past season, when he averaged 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. But despite high hopes after adding Dwyane Wade last offseason, the Bulls went a disappointing 41-41 and squeaked into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
With the Bulls apparently headed for a rebuild, teams were lining up trying to trade for Butler, who was the focus of several rumors this past week.
“It’s crazy because there was me talking with guys about Cleveland, then all the outside rumors with Boston, Minnesota, Phoenix, then the feeling that I’m not going anywhere,” Butler said. “I mean, I had so many people telling me what could possibly happen, but I just got to the point where I stopped paying attention to it.
“It’s crazy because it reminds you of what a business this is. You can’t get mad at anybody. I’m not mad — I’m not. I just don’t like the way some things were handled, but it’s OK.”
Butler and Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg were a part of one of the more memorable feuds during the 2015 season with Butler criticizing Hoiberg's mild-mannered personality and lack of tough coaching. The tension appeared to carry over to this past season when Butler and Wade were benched by Hoiberg in January because they aired their grievances through the media.
“Fred had the same objective that I did. He wanted to win. I do agree that we go about it differently, but I don’t care what anyone thinks about me as a basketball player," Butler said Friday. "I have no bad things to say about Fred at all. Maybe we didn’t see eye-to-eye on some things and a few things could have been handled different at different times, but like I said back then and I say now, I don’t regret anything. I don’t take anything back. I am who I am, and I’m not perfect in any shape or form.”
Butler won't have to worry about mild-mannered personalities with Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached Butler in Chicago before Hoiberg took over in 2015.
“I love to be challenged by my coaches,” Butler said. “I feel like I’ve talked so much about how I love Thibs and respect what he does, going back to my rookie year. He’s done so much for me. It’s great to be back with a guy like that. The guy knows how to win. I know his style of play, and I feel like I’ll fit in with that core that they have over there.
“We’re going to be really good. I believe that. We’re going to be — at least I’m hoping — the toughest team that takes the floor every night. That’s what we can bank on. That’s something we can control. If we can do that to the best of our abilities, we’re going to win some games.’’