It was only a few seasons ago that Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and the Miami Heat made a run to the NBA Finals. That summer, Miami was on the rise, and they were the feel-good story of the entire league.
Now, they are struggling to find consistency with a thin roster and a core group of players that have been in and out of the lineup all season long. After Miami’s loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday, in which Jimmy Butler endured yet another injury, Butler himself went public to express his frustration.
“Man, that’s on me,” Butler said of a lack of lineup continuity leaving the Heat at 16-17 during their two-day Christmas break that ends with Monday night’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the third on this four-game homestand that has opened 0-2. “You know what I’m saying? It’s tough whenever I’m in and out of the lineup so much. I don’t choose to do that obviously. But at this point, it’s frustrating.”
Butler spoke during a quiet moment in the locker room, yet to shower after Friday’s loss, sensing how this latest setback was playing all the way up to Pat Riley’s executive suite.
“I can only imagine how my teammates feel and my coaches feel, how coach Pat and them feel,” he said. “But I want to be out there, honestly. Because I think that I can help. I know that I can help. And I will get this thing right and we’ll be ready to string together some wins.”
Butler has already missed a chunk of games for the Heat this season, and now there’s a good chance he’ll miss some more. Thanks to big performances from Ban Adebayo and Tyler Herro, the Heat have been able to keep themselves alive in the East, but one has to wonder what this team’s ceiling is right now, given their struggles of late.
Should The Heat Blow It Up?
While Butler and Bam are still great players, there have been calls for the franchise to trade them both and start from scratch. According to Shaquille O’Neal, it’s the only way to reset their position and clear all those ugly contracts.
“It might be time to break the team up and start over,” said Charles Barkley via Heat Nation. “They got some contracts that’s like … they’re no good. So, they need to start over. That’s my personal opinion, it’s like, hey, trade some of these guys to contenders or teams that [can] get us some young guys and start over.”
It remains to be seen what the Heat decide to do, but they definitely shouldn’t stand pat this season. Even if Butler is able to stay fully healthy going forward, they need to add some depth if they want to be taken seriously as a contender.
Pat Riley is no doubt working to make something happen soon, but it’s not going to do anything to stop the bleeding right now.
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