The Towns Deal Speaks on Butler's Character
The Towns Deal Speaks on Butler's Character
September 24th, 2018
We are currently in the midst of the Jimmy Butler trade drama but Minnesota found a silver lining recently. During this transitional period, the Timberwolves extended their budding superstar, Karl Anthony-Towns, to a five year for a deal worth $190 million.
The Wolves have been in a drought for star-like bigs since Kevin Garnett's departure in 2007 and the Kevin Love trade in 2014. Minnesota fans had to endure the tenures of Mark Madsen, Theo Ratliff, Antoine Walker, Adreian Payne, Sasha Pecherov, Thaddeus Young and of course the stint of Nikola Pekovic.
Those in-between years are now over with Karl Anthony-Towns holding it down in the low post. Towns won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2016 and he was also made his way to the All-NBA third-team last season. Additionally, Towns averages 21 and 11 for his three year career and last season KAT poured a career high of 56 points against the Hawks in a dominant performance.
Just when Minnesota fans doubted the future of the Timberwolves with the Jimmy Butler drama and the many questions surrounding Andrew Wiggins’ game and menatility, Towns secures his bag and secures long needed consistency within the organization.
I love how Towns snuck in and got the deal done even during the Butler saga. However, I think this speaks more on Butler’s character and here’s why.
Jimmy Butler’s rise to glory is a noteworthy one due to the fact that he was not a highly sought after high school recruit, drafted last in the first round and then went from being a Bulls bench warmer to their best player. In order to achieve those things you need to be strong willed and have a strong mindset. Though Jimmy Butler is a fiery, heart filled player that excels on both sides of the court, we can not ignore the toll it takes on the locker room.
Throughout the course of these reports, I think we are refusing to acknowledge the track record that Butler has. During his time with the Bulls, Butler has had beef with Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Rajon Rondo, Head Coach Fred Hoiberg and with upper management. So this is nothing new for Butler and it is inevitable to point out that Butler is the common denominator in both situations.
There were reports all season of Butler’s distraught with Wiggins and Towns. More specifically in Towns’ case, Butler respected his talent but felt that he was too focused on his statistical output rather than winning games. It is safe to say that the Wolves underperformed and this certainly caused a rift between Wiggins, Towns, Butler and Head Coach Tom Thibodeau.
I think that Towns inking his deal is big for the franchise, but it shows how much Butler’s baggage impacted the team. Towns and the Wolves both had mutual interest in signing the extension, however, it never got done until we got word of what appears to be Butler on his way out. Coincidence? No, the timing is everything and Towns does not even have to say anything on it, we just know.
Butler’s game is appreciated by anyone who consumes the NBA, but I think we have to look at this situation with a critical eye and hold everyone accountable.
Now Minnesota fans just have to hope that the trade package the Wolves receive for Butler complements the team well and we continue to see Towns grow into the superstar he is destined to become.
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