Jimmy Butler is starting to become a real problem since his exit from the Chicago Bulls and it seems the love affair that he had going on with the Philadelphia 76ers has started to sour already.
Sources have told ESPN that the 76ers star “has aggressively challenged coach Brett Brown on his role in the offense, complicating an already tenuous chemistry among the team’s Big 3 hierarchy.”
Butler has been vocal in his contesting of Brown and his system, including a recent film session in Portland that some witnesses considered “disrespectful” and beyond normal player-coach discourse.
Brown has told people within the organization that he had no issues with that exchange and considered it within the confines of the relationship that he’s developed with Butler, sources said.
While a source close to Butler contends that his intense, direct style can come off as combative as he’s trying to make clear his viewpoints, Butler’s sluggish assimilation into the Sixers environment is causing some concern about his long-term viability and fit with the organization, league sources said. Nevertheless, the franchise’s full focus and resources remain on making this new partnership work this season and beyond.
The Philadelphia 76ers acquired Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves
for Robert Covington and Dario Saric in mid-November.
Before that, Butler did everything he possibly could to get himself traded from the T-Wolves after having a fallout with certain players on the team as well as the coaching staff.
