When word first came out on Wednesday that Jimmy Butler was at practice with the Timberwolves for the first time since his trade request, everyone’s ears perked up. There was plenty of anticipation about how it went and whether it was the beginning of Tom Thibodeau’s plan working, or if it would be a disaster for the organization.
Hours later, after Butler’s interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols aired on SportsCenter and the salacious details of his “vociferous and emotional” practice had come out from multiple reporters, it was clear it was more the latter than the former. Thibodeau apparently loved it, as Stan Van Gundy spoke with members of the staff who said it was the “best practice” they’ve had this offseason. It was clear, however, this was a well-orchestrated effort from Butler to accelerate the trade process and ensure the Timberwolves honored his request in short order by applying pressure to owner Glen Taylor.
Butler’s interview with Rachel Nichols, who asked every question you’d hope from an interviewer, was a master class in how a player can take control of a situation and narrative in such a position.
Butler didn’t deny anything that was reported about his outbursts at practice, but characterized them as simply his passion and emotion overflowing after finally getting to play basketball for the first time in months. He said some might see it as the wrong way to go about it, but insists he was just being “brutally honest” with his teammates. He said that Karl-Anthony Towns was actually the one that challenged him, not the other way around, and he simply stepped up to the challenge — though multiple reports have insisted Butler came after Towns from the start, including a recent column from The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski.
Butler also addressed his issues with Towns and Andrew Wiggins, calling them the best player and most “god-gifted” player respectively, before explaining that his frustration lies in how they don’t always give full effort and he can tell when that’s happening. He claimed Thibs loved his passion at practice and once again stated his love for the coach before explaining that just because that’s true doesn’t mean playing for him is the best thing for his career. He said things theoretically could be fixed, but that he doesn’t think they will because not everyone in Minnesota is willing to be honest with him, the way he believes he’s being honest (brutally so by his own admission) with them.
Everything that happened on Wednesday was carefully thought out and just about perfectly executed. He arrived at practice for an hour and left once that time was up. He beat up on the starters with third-stringers in scrimmage, effectively making his point that Towns, Wiggins, and the rest don’t put forth enough effort at all times to meet his standards. He, or someone close by, made sure everything that happened made its way to the public immediately, which is a rarity for things that happen in an NBA practice.
We usually find out details from practice altercations weeks or months later, not hours. NBA teams are pretty good at keeping these kinds of things under wraps, provided all parties are committed to that. In this instance, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was tweeting sensational updates with tons of detail almost immediately, followed by confirmation from other reporters like Yahoo’s Chris Haynes and Charania and Krawczynski. It was unlike just about anything we’ve seen in the NBA, which indicates it was a purposeful effort to make sure the point was driven home to not just the organization, but the fans and the rest of the NBA, that the clock is ticking.
That’s important because making the point to the organization clearly wouldn’t be enough to get him traded, since it’s clear Thibodeau is willing to put up with this. Butler needed to get pressure from the outside on owner Glen Taylor, who has been the one pushing the issue on a trade from the beginning, while Thibs was reluctant to do anything about Butler’s request. Many Timberwolves fans will now be clamoring for a trade, just in case they weren’t already, because of the apparent damage Butler could do by being in the building. Towns and Wiggins, for better or worse, are the top stars of this team and the guys that Minnesota is financially committed to long term, and if he’s going to be a disruptor to their growth, both on the court and, particularly for Towns, in his legitimacy as a team leader, that’s a problem for Taylor.
Thibodeau wanted this. He wanted Butler in practices, because Butler is the player version of him. He’s confrontational. He’s a bulldog who demands perfection from everyone around him. Thibs loves that energy, and couldn’t care less if Towns and others may get rattled or upset by it. That builds character in his eyes. But that might not be the way Towns operates. It’s been clear from reports dating back to last season that the approach bothered him and didn’t motivate Towns the way Butler or Thibs hoped, only making things worse.
The Wolves hoped to drag trade talks out to leverage offers from other teams, but Butler decided to use some leverage of his own. By making it clear he wasn’t bluffing in his warnings that this is how it would go if he were to return to the team, the only question that remains is how long with the Timberwolves let this go on. Because all reports indicate Butler will continue to show up — he’s not going to let himself get fined — and the message on Wednesday was apparent: as long as I’m here, this is what will happen.
