The Miami Heat, who are in the midst of the Jimmy Butler controversy, are scheduled to host the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday afternoon.
On the surface, the Spurs who are under .500 in two games and the Heat who are .500 are similar.
Both teams entered this weekend just outside of the playoff picture. And both teams are on losing streaks — three games for Miami and two for San Antonio.
But while the Spurs are led by 21-year-old superstar Victor Wembaneyama, the Heat are being held back from a mental standpoint by 35-year-old Butler, who requested a trade.
The Heat suspended Butler for seven games for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
Butler returned on Friday and had 18 points, three rebounds and two assists in a 133-113 loss to the visiting Denver Nuggets.
It’s not vintage performance for the six-time All-Star, who averaged 20.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists last season.
Was Butler’s poor stat line on Friday due to rust from not playing since January 2nd?
For the players who say they have lost their “joy” in the game, was it because they didn’t try hard enough?
Or is Butler fading due to age and his 14-year NBA career, in which he played in 956 regular season and playoff games?
Butler offered few clues Friday, saying “no comment” when asked if he could resolve the situation.
He said it felt good to play with his teammates again.
“They’re cool. They’re my friends,” Butler said. “My beef wasn’t with them.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is usually very friendly with the media, but some of his responses Friday were a little curt.
“I know what kind of storyline you want,” Spoelstra told reporters. “I wasn’t feeding it. We got our butts kicked by (Denver). We just weren’t good enough from a defensive standpoint. This is the third game in a row.”
Spoelstra also said his methods “are none of your business.”
Meanwhile, the Spurs have lost two straight at home to the Memphis Grizzlies.
San Antonio interim coach Mitch Johnson is preaching patience.
“I think our guys are trying to play,” said Johnson, who replaced Gregg Popovich, who is out for the season due to health reasons.
Wenbanyama has played against the Heat twice, with Miami winning both times. In those two games, he averaged 18.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists.
But Wembaneyama, who won NBA Rookie of the Year last season, has been even better this season. He is averaging 24.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and a league-leading 4.1 blocks per game.
The Spurs’ point guard is led by Chris Paul, who is nearly twice Wembaneyama’s age. Paul, who turns 40 in May, is averaging 9.6 points and leads the team in assists (8.2) and steals (1.4).
Paul’s presence helps explain why the Spurs have improved so much after going 22-60 in each of the past two seasons.
“He’s seen everything on the basketball court,” Johnson said of Paul. “Having someone like Chris who probably has a better solution than me is worth its weight in gold.”
–Field level media
