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Jimmy Butler ‘Couldn’t Be In A Happier Place’

Trey Daubert / NBA / September 2, 2020

The entire world needs to apologize to Jimmy Butler. He made the right decision to join the Miami Heat. The Heat currently lead the Bucks 1-0 in the Eastern Conference Semi Finals. Miami has been better than expected and Butler has been the perfect leader. Butler said the obvious. He couldn’t be happier.

VIA Sam Amick of The Athletic:

“Here (with the Heat), I’m wanted man,” Butler said. “And that’s all you ever want as a human being, as a basketball player, as anything is to feel wanted. I’m wanted. I’m welcomed here. And I couldn’t be in a happier place, or around better guys.”

Butler has been a godsend for this Heat team. He’s the perfect leader and all of the young guns have bought in. Erik Spoelstra deserves a lot of credit too. Butler respects him and he’s developed a lot of their young players including Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo. Remember when LeBron wanted him fired? That’s hilarious.

There was one interesting quote in the interview. After the Heat beat the Bucks in Game one, Joel Embiid tweeted this.

IF……
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) September 1, 2020

Obviously, this was referring to if Butler stayed in Philadelphia. Jimmy spoke out about it and really spoke highly regarding the 76ers center:

Will Joel Embiid Force His Way Out Of Philadelphia?

“That’s my guy. Outside of basketball, I love that man to death. He knows that. I tell him every opportunity I get, and I appreciate him for making me a better player, a better leader, better at understanding so many different things. I talk to him all the time, and I tell him, ‘I wish you were still in the playoffs, because you deserve a championship.’ Because he works. He works at it, and that’s just my guy. Yeah, I saw it, and I know that he still wanted me to be on his team. And I still wanted to be teammates with him. Let’s not get that misunderstood. But here, with these guys, I’m not trading that for the world either.”

HMMM. Would Butler advocate for Miami to explore trading for Embiid? A topic for another day.