Despite the sour history of Jimmy Butler and NBA teams, the Golden State Warriors decided to get their hands on the 35-year-old star. According to Steve Kerr, a “fresh start” is what the six-time All-Star needs to feel rejuvenated. The entire Bay locker room seems delighted to have the veteran forward as a part of their team. However, for some, the purpose goes beyond pushing them into a winning conversation again.
Draymond Green wants another disruptor by his side, and Butler fits that profile. The playmaking forward has dealt with several punishments over the past few seasons. Much of it is because of Green’s aggression and his intent to try to disrupt the opposition. Likewise, being the sole handyman for the Warriors, he has lost over $2 million in fines and suspensions. But with Jimmy Butler now a part of the system, Green is glad he has somebody who doesn’t mind using underhand tactics.
“It’s great. You know I get above and beyond penalties now so kind of have to monitor my activity so it’s great to have somebody else that could step in and kind of do that at times,” the four-time champion said about the addition of Jimmy Butler.
Butler’s competitive instincts compel him to embrace challenges. Notably, the former Heat star doesn’t run away from confrontations. Rather, he uses them to feel him in games and emerge as a greater contributor to his teams. His incident with Grant Williams and Jrue Holiday during Miami’s last Finals run are only some of the examples of Butler crossing the line to disturb a rival’s composure.
With him and Draymond Green on the same side, the Warriors forward can now take a back seat at times. However, tonight that wasn’t the case, and the former DPOY was dumbfounded by his punishment again.
What made Draymond Green lose his calm?
The Warriors and Lakers went down swinging towards the end. The game was up for grabs on both ends. In that moment, Draymond Green missed a crucial free throw. It ignited the crowd and LeBron James, too, began mocking his good friend. But amidst the chaos, it was the Warriors’ defensive anchor that got a technical.
Notably, he seemed to have a charged interaction with the referee who stepped in too close to the 34-year-old before his second free throw. Most times, Green admits his mistakes or keeps his anger to himself. But tonight’s technical, which cost him $3,000, just didn’t make sense to him.
“Well, I got a tech for just telling the referee please don’t walk don’t like don’t walk in my face. I got a tech but I’ve never seen a referee walk from under the rim walking up to a guy with the ball and talking to him and I got a tech for telling him don’t walk in my face,” the Warriors forward frustratingly shared in his press conference.
Such technical fouls have always irked Draymond Green. He doesn’t like the fact that NBA players are penalized for arguments for interactions with the officials. Those emotions are part of the game, and they can also go out of order. That’s when a technical foul seems acceptable. However, his anger towards a punishment tonight can be understood. Hopefully, with Jimmy Butler running alongside him, his interaction with the officials could be reduced, leading to lesser punishments. Then again, Green needs to draw a line for himself, knowing how sensitive the game can be at times.
