SALT LAKE CITY — At their best, the Miami Heat move in lockstep. From the moment Pat Riley arrived in 1995, the approach has been that of a singular voice, that even if multiple voices are doing the messaging, the message is clear, cogent, collective. And then along came Jimmy Butler, circa 2024-25. And now it has gotten awkward. Take, for example, the interview session after last Thursday’s home blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers. As coach Erik Spoelstra took his seat at the podium, the initial questions were almost singularly focused on how Butler — to put it mildly — had meandered through the evening. “That had nothing to do with anything,” Spoelstra said of Butler’s walkabout. He then termed Butler’s performance “aberrational.” Pressed again on the seeming indifference of his star forward, Spoelstra doubled down with, “I think that’s an easy storyline.” Nothing to see here. Move on. Except 21 hours later, the Heat issued a statement that said Butler would be suspended without pay for seven games, a suspension that is ongoing as the Heat’s six-game western swing moves on from Tuesday night’s 114-98 victory over the Golden State Warriors to Thursday night’s game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center. The day after the Heat announced the suspension, Spoelstra opened his Saturday pregame media session by issuing a brief statement and then asked to move on. “Want to quiet all the distractions,” he said.
Comment on Ira Winderman: So now Spoelstra might have to clean up the Heat’s Butler mess?
Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Wed, 01/08/2025 - 7:39am
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