Jimmy Butler doesn't think he was 'that big of a problem' in Timberwolves locker room
The Philadelphia 76ers introduced Jimmy Butler, the newest member of their team, at a press conference on Tuesday. Butler was traded to the Sixers on Saturday after a contentious standoff with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and during the presser he seemed pretty happy to be starting with a new team and to leave all the drama behind.
But he hasn’t left it behind quite yet. Butler was of course asked about his well-publicized issues with the Timberwolves, and he responded by saying that he doesn’t believe he was “that big of a problem at all,” while handing out several compliments to his now-former teammates.
Jimmy Butler on the Timberwolves drama: Unless everybody in my past locker room was just that fake, I don't think that I was that big of a problem at all pic.twitter.com/7fn1bEtRyp
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) November 13, 2018
It’s not a bad point that no players have directly criticized him, or at least if they have, they haven’t been identified as players. But Butler’s penchant for drama has been a major topic, with many wondering if he’ll bring that with him to Philly. A scout who spoke to Bleacher Report said that Butler was the problem in both Chicago and Minnesota, and that “he’s really hard to play with. He’s very demanding, very hard on his teammates.”
We don’t know how the third stop in Butler’s professional career will turn out, but he’s clearly very excited about starting fresh with a new team that has so much potential. He’s been an admirer of Joel Embiid’s social media from afar, and admires the Sixers because they play so hard.
"They play so incredibly hard."
Jimmy Butler is excited to get to work with Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and the @sixers pic.twitter.com/NiRp0kehi5
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 13, 2018
Butler also has faith in Markelle Fultz despite his shooting issues, and thinks his problems are most likely mental.
Butler on Fultz: He's a talented young player. From what I can tell, a lot of things are mental… pic.twitter.com/A7Ic9tLfta
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) November 13, 2018
Beyond Butler’s well-known love of minivans and country music, Philly fans may not know much about him yet. But he’s confident that his attitude and his style will win them over pretty quickly — he plays hard, and they love guys who go all out.
"I love to work, I love to grind … and I think the city is going to love that about me."
Jimmy Butler is ready to get to work in Philly pic.twitter.com/NCLGGuvstJ
— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 13, 2018
As for whether Philly-area donut shops will be selling this beauty on the regular, probably not — but they really should.
The #Sixers even had Jimmy Butler donuts. pic.twitter.com/U5iDOOM41J
— Garry Cobb (@GarryCobb) November 13, 2018
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Liz Roscher is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter at @lizroscher.
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