Perhaps the two sides have had bad blood for a long time. For example, the American media also mentioned that last spring, Leary said harshly to his disciples, “He needs to play more often.” In public, the attack on Butler’s theory of winning without injury was the first crack in the confrontation between the two sides.
Then, with the unresolved contract renewal negotiations and the change in the team’s role, Butler became more and more hostile and provocative towards Leary and the Heat. Finally, he returned to the team to play two games at the beginning of the year, and was criticized again. It cannot be rushed, and it will eventually lead to a breakup that now seems to be a lose-lose situation.
In this conflict, the two leaders, Leary and Butler, certainly have their own responsibilities. Both of them are ruthless characters who will not bow their heads, although the former said that as he grows older over the years, he has become softer to adapt. Times have changed, and the public accusations against the general manager, as well as the conciliatory methods that include changing roles afterwards, are indeed negotiable and improved, but generally speaking, Butler still received a lot of criticism.
One thing is that he does have more provocative little moves (it is understandable that he is just a player who needs more intense confrontation to achieve his goal, but he has to bear bad reviews at the same time). During the two periods, he had more back-and-forth; thirdly, this was the third time that he made weird noises in order to transfer teams. His willfulness and self-centeredness were what Butler himself personally confirmed, and he said that during the stalemate with the 76ers He once said that he is not the one who can be controlled, only he can control himself.
Finally, no matter what this season and next season (if the player option is used), he will still receive a solid maximum salary from the Heat. Whether it is in the present tense or as a reward for past hard work, the Heat do not have any money. I have not apologized to Master Chief (including missing 22 regular season games last year and being reimbursed in the playoffs); based on the spirit of the contract, he does have the right to require players to play seriously. Butler really has no position in order to achieve what he wants for the next year but failed, and he is looking at the entire market. Most teams are afraid or unable to provide the maximum salary, so they resisted by playing passively so early, and further made the team restless.
This is why, although both of them have the support of current and retired stars, and overall the support for Leary is slightly stronger in the media, in addition to the rationality of workplace ethics, Butler’s 36-year-old current voice and The means available are not as good as those outside the team, and there is more optimism that Leary will become the ultimate winner. The reason is simple: “He is Leary.”
Shaquille O’Neal, the superstar who once had friction with Leary and was later traded to the Suns, put it bluntly on TNT, “I know from personal experience that you can’t argue with Leary.” The well-known “social melon” Carmelo Anthony even said bluntly, “Leary will not send you where you want to go. You know, don’t get into trouble with Leary. It’s like this is just a game that we as players can’t win.” It’s the same as fighting.”
