Jimmy Butler has been called many things during his career, most notably the NBA's ultimate bridge-burner, but the Golden State Warriors' new forward insists he doesn't light up games for fun.
He's just enforcing a standard. And that standard has never changed.
“I'm always after winning, winning at all costs,” Butler told NBC Sports Bay Area. “So when it's not just about winning, it can turn into a lot of different things. If it's not about winning, I'm telling you right now, I'm not here to win. It has to be about winning. Everything we do, it has to be about winning.”
Butler's resume in Chicago, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Miami was filled with tension, conflict and sudden exits.
He never outright said those teams were complacent, but he didn't have to. The implication was loud enough. He's now in Golden State because he sees the same organizational obsession as his own.
General manager Mike Dunleavy explained the acquisition in February, telling NBC Sports Bay Area, “We have to get better on the basketball court. But we need to get better emotionally. We lost our way. To be able to do those two things, there's not a lot of players that can do that. I feel like Jimmy is one of them.”
Butler, who led the Heat to two NBA Finals, left Miami after friction and contract disputes with Pat Riley. Now he's making it clear: The Warriors' culture must match the intensity he's shown throughout his career.
“If it’s to win, if it’s to win a championship — I’m all for it,” Butler said. “If it's not and there's some other agenda, none of you are going to like it. Because I don't care. I'm really just in it to win. That's it. I don't care about anything else.”
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