With the current Jimmy Butler saga devolving further and further into pettiness, there are a lot of concerns about the future of the Miami Heat.
One former Heat superstar who also had his issues with Pat Riley in the past, Dwyane Wade, spoke on the matter on his ‘The Why’ podcast. He was critical of the way Jimmy Butler has gone about handling his business, noting that other former stars are not happy with the way he has handled his situation. Wade added that former Heat players are not happy with how things have played out.
“It’s ego, it’s pride, and it’s jockeying for position. It’s ugly in our organization. At the same time, from a person who’s been inside the organization – Iron Fist. If we’re gonna be that way, be that way. The stuff we hear as former players, we don’t like it. We didn’t get away with that s**t. When I hear something I’m like ‘Damn’.”
“It’s just ugly. Hopefully, we get through this. When I look at the organization and all the players that have come through, yeah, a lot of top guys have left because we ran into that guy. When you run into that guy in Miami, you see who gets the last laugh.”
Wade also spoke about his comments at the recent statue unveiling the Miami Heat organized for him. He said at the event that players should want to be there, and if they don’t, they shouldn’t waste anyone’s time and just leave without causing too many problems.
“I wanted them to know if you don’t want to be here and the way things are working here, then don’t be here. This is not the organization for that. That’s why I came back because I realized when I left, ‘It is what it is’. This is what we all appreciate. This is the way that the organization is ran. The organization is not going to be ran in a way that changes for every star that comes into the organization.”
“Lebron James only stayed four years, it wasn’t ran the way he wanted it to, it wasn’t ran the way Dwyane Wade wanted it to. It’s ran the way Pat Riley is going to run it, and the way Mickey Arisonn runs it. It’s a part of it, that as a player, you don’t like. We didn’t like that s**t. I didn’t like the way it went down. I’m not sitting here, saying I like it.”
“But also, you have to stand on something. If the Miami Heat are not standing on something, then they become like a lot of these organizations in the NBA trying to find their identity and culture. This is the culture, bro. So, for one, I’m glad that we’re back to the culture. I was happy when Pat came out at the end of the season. That’s what we’re used to ”
For someone like Dwyane Wade, who is so closely associated with the Miami Heat organization, and shares a close bond with Jimmy Butler, this must be a heartbreaking situation.
Dwyane Wade: Heat Will Easily Recruit Stars Again
In the same podcast, the former Finals MVP spoke about how these situations are similar to the end of a relationship. And when the communication isn’t right, things fall apart. He lamented the failure of the relationship and wished things weren’t playing out like they are right now.
Wade also stressed that this current fiasco between Jimmy Butler and Pat Riley is not going to cause any trouble for the Miami Heat’s future when it comes to recruiting star players. He emphasized that any star player in the NBA would love to make a lot of money while living in Miami and playing for the Heat.
“I don’t like nasty break-ups. I think what people need to understand is; these relationships are relationships. And just like the relationships that we’re in, the communication in these relationships sucks. That’s the one thing about the league that I didn’t really like. We don’t communicate very well.”
“In this space with the Heat, man, I don’t know what is going to happen and I have no comment on the trade. But I know what Jimmy Butler has done for the Miami Heat, and it shouldn’t have to be as ugly as it is right now. I don’t like this stain on our organization…”
“I don’t like that people, because of Jimmy Butler, because of how Pat Riley handles things, [say that] guys won’t come to Miami. Y’all can’t quit that s**t right now. It’s not going to be a day that a basketball player ain’t going to want to make $300M to play in Miami… Let’s quit that narrative right now.”
“That narrative, from the people from the outside, because of what they’re seeing, of how it is being handled, that’s what I don’t like. The fact that people feel that they can talk about what is in-house, how we do things.”
“But to give Jimmy credit, Jimmy came in when they were losing the face of the franchise and became the face of the franchise. That is hard to do. He became the person that the kids wanted to buy his jersey. The Heat was a soft landing spot for Jimmy, and Jimmy was exactly the star that they needed.”
“For six years – Finals, big moments that they have had together. It should not end tragically. This is a tragic way to end the relationship. As a former player, it is ugly on our franchise, a stain on our franchise that we continue to have these – the way that the relationships break up.”
“But also, on the other side, you don’t run that organization as a player. You get to that space sometimes where you want to do things your way. It’s Pat Riley’s way.”
As mentioned before, if anyone is well-equipped to speak on this matter, it is Dwyane Wade. Wade was the face of the Miami Heat organization for almost 15 years in his first run, and had his share of problems with Pat Riley, not just as the president of the Heat organization, but also as the head coach.
Wade famously left the Heat after having a falling out with Riley, only to return in 2018 for his final NBA season. Wade is one of the many players that Pat Riley has had problems with, as LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal also butted heads with the Heat president.
Riley is well aware of his shaky history with star players, admitting that he has had issues with pretty much all of his former All-Star players.
But it isn’t just Wade’s experience with Riley and the Heat. Dwyane Wade was a teammate of Jimmy Butler during their days together on the Chicago Bulls. Wade took Butler under his wing, as they were both former Marquette players who were not tipped to have the kind of success they found in the NBA.
Wade had a lot to say on this matter, but he is perhaps one of the few people who gets to say as much as he did, given what he means to Pat Riley, Jimmy Butler, and the Miami Heat.
Butler-Heat Saga Getting Worse By The Day
The Heat and Butler are at odds with each other, and their relationship is near-irredeemable right now. Pat Riley is weighing up multiple offers for the former All-Star, with the Suns reportedly best-positioned to land him in a trade before the deadline. You can catch up on all the major notes on this matter right here.
Chris Haynes also put out a comprehensive report on the ongoing situation with the Heat, which details exactly what is going on between the two sides.
Butler has done everything in his power to force a move through. Last week, he took a jab at Pat Riley on Instagram. On top of that, it was reported that he has been demanding to travel privately, and also skipping practices to make this a very hostile situation.
In response to this, the Heat have the chance to take some punitive measures of their own. The Heat could reportedly upgrade Jimmy’s punishment for being uncooperative and suspend him for even more games than the initial seven.
Riley is reportedly not going to take any offer that hurts the team or doesn’t meet his lofty standards. Bam Adebayo has backed this decision, showing support for the Heat’s president wanting to get the most out of a bad situation.
This saga has turned very ugly, and the two sides are set for a very bitter divorce. All fans can hope for is that both sides can walk away from this better than they were before the solution.
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