Draymond Green Clears Stance on Jimmy Butler Tribute Video as Warriors Newbie Faces ESPN Journalists’ Major Disrespect

Up until yesterday, Jimmy-Heat was an example of toxicity. Then came the much-anticipated Tuesday. Energy at its peak, intensity like never before. The Kaseya Center shone brighter than ever. And all eyes were on Jimmy Butler. A return that felt more like revenge was on the cards. But the Heat’s tribute surely melted a piece of his heart. The heart that had grown colder from how he was treated by his former franchise in his last days there, all swept as a flashback of good memories took to the screen, only to make his heart feel lighter. When his new teammate was asked about the moment, he made his stance clear.

“I can’t, I don’t know what it’s like to return to a place,” Draymond Green said after the game. Having been with the Warriors since his draft, the emotion that Jimmy was going through wasn’t something Dray would’ve possibly understood. “But I can imagine that it’s emotional. And he was fine… He didn’t make it about himself. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t get the win for him,” the Warriors vet added.

The night didn’t go as planned for the Warriors and Jimmy, especially. They wanted to win, if not for revenge, but for the ring. Another road trip failure stung even more. Following the 112-86 loss to the Heat, Draymond confessed, “Gotta give them (the Heat) credit. They made shots. You know, they play well defensively. I don’t think they’re emotional and affecting anyone. Just gotta give them credit.” Started as underdogs, the Miami side seemed fearless without a point to prove. But how did it unfold?

The Heat took the lead from the opening quarter and maintained it throughout, dominating on both ends of the court. It was quite hard to believe this was the same team that had lost eight of their last nine games. And defeating the Warriors didn’t even seem like a challenge for them. Stephen Curry’s absence and their poor offense added more to their disadvantage of the already weakening Golden State squad. Draymond scored only two points, while Jimmy added an 11-6-2 stat line, and what followed after this was disrespect for the Warriors’ newbie.

ESPN journalists disrespect Jimmy Butler following loss against Heat

Game of Thrones fans might recall how the North always remembered its injustices for generations, while the South wasn’t so big on holding grudges. Something similar happened on Tuesday when Jimmy Butler visited his former arena. Forgetting how Jimmy had left South Beach, fans cheered for him. But, of course, not everyone was happy.

“I was embarrassed last night,” Bobby Marks said on ESPN’s Get Up. “I was embarrassed watching that and looking at what the Heat fans did. To give a man who quit on you, he quit on them in the middle of the year because he didn’t get paid by the Miami Heat.” 

Jimmy refused to stay with the Heat after he was denied a contract extension and then started a cold war between him and President Pat Riley. But the insider felt that the Miami fans forgot all too soon how he left them in last month’s trade. “I know he took you to two NBA Finals and everything he did great for you, but to give that man a standing ovation, even if it was 50 percent of that, that bothered me dearly,” Marks clearly took offense at that.

It wasn’t just Marks; even Chris Russo shared his true feelings about Jimmy Butler right after the game. “He took one team to the final, Butler, I think he’s a little overrated,” he said on First Take. “He’s very good. He’s not a great.” But then, who are the greats? According to Mad Dog, great players are Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and even Anthony Edwards, all of whom have made a huge impact on their teams and helped push them to become strong contenders in the league. Meanwhile, he believed Jimmy wasn’t on that level. Russo boldly claimed, “He’s as good as Jason Tatum. That’s a great player. I think he’s cut below.”

That must have hurt both Jimmy and Tatum. But Russo was just being his candid self; being vocal is his thing. However, if the Warriors’ star truly wants to change his perception, he’ll have to be a difference-maker in the playoffs, Russo said outright. Now, whether that happens this season or not, only time will tell.