Around a year ago, Jimmy Butler was hellbent on forcing his way out of Miami, doing everything within his power to show his unhappiness with the Heat organization and team president Pat Riley. Naturally, that partnership came to an untimely conclusion after he was traded to the Golden State Warriors at February’s trade deadline. And what a difference a change of scenery makes, as it’s been all rainbows and gumdrops ever since!
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The Warriors had been stuck in neutral before the trade, but they took off the moment Butler arrived, and if not for an unlucky string of injuries in the postseason, there’s no telling how far they could have gone.
Butler has spoken glowingly about his new teammates and the experience of being on the Warriors. With the new season now just days away, his presence is one of the main reasons the Warriors are considered contenders.
He has obviously meshed well with his new teammates on the court, but just as important is the quick bond they’ve forged outside of the arena. You’ll rarely find players as complimentary of each other as Butler and the rest of the Warriors have been, but like any good friends, there’s a competitive aspect to their relationship, too.
That competitiveness has manifested itself in dominoes, a time-honored Warriors tradition that also happens to be one of Butler’s specialties.
Butler told Kerith Burke of NBC Sports Bay Area that Steph Curry and he destroyed the rest of the team at a players-only house party that he threw this offseason.
“Buddy [Hield] was on the losing side,” he said. “Buddy loses, Buddy’s no good. Draymond lost, yeah. Draymond lost as well. He lost to Batman and Robin.”
Butler said that Steph only recently learned the game, but his hyper-competitive nature and intelligence allowed him to get so good, so fast. “He’s sick like that,” Butler gleefully asserted.
Butler appeared sincere when he told Burke about his and Steph’s dominoes domination, but Draymond Green sat down with her yesterday, and he told a very different story.
Draymond Green isn’t here for Butler’s dominoes tall tales
“Number one, me and Ernie beat them,” Draymond said, referring to one of Butler’s best friends. “Then we played ’em again, and they won, then we played ’em again, and we won.”
“Technically, Batman and Robin lost,” the former NBA champion continued, “and Superman came up out the booth. So, you know, yeah, that’s what happened,” he added with a smile.
Butler may have committed a lie of omission by not mentioning the games he lost, or this could be a situation where two intensely competitive guys saw things differently. Maybe there needs to be an undercover account from Moses Moody or Brandin Podziemski to get to the bottom of it once and for all.
Regardless of who won, these dominoes games are proof of the Warriors’ chemistry. Draymond said, “The ultimate show of love and respect is to invite someone in your home,” so it obviously meant a lot that Butler hosted all of his teammates.
Draymond has been a critical component of the Warriors dynasty, but he’s also been at the core of some of their chemistry issues over the years, with his relationships with Kevin Durant and Jordan Poole being the primary examples. At the same time, the bond that he, Steph and Klay Thompson shared for so many years was ironclad.
It sure seems like the vibes are good in Golden State now that Butler is in town. It remains to be seen if they can start the season on the right foot when they visit the Lakers for the regular season opener on Tuesday night.
