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Jimmy Butler move is the right move for Minnesota

By Collin Kottke

Dec 13, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) attempts to pass the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) attempts to pass the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Getting Jimmy Butler is the right move for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

I share an office with my uncle. My uncle used to be a half-season ticket holder for the Minnesota Timberwolves and is apparently on the email list of the ticket salespeople. My uncle asked the ticket salesperson to call him on Friday if something really special happened during Thursday night’s draft and something special happened.

I think my uncle will be getting a call on Friday.

Jimmy Butler is special. He has shown it throughout his career with the Chicago Bulls. Butler has increased his points per game every season in the league while going on to be a three time NBA All-Star.  He’s good and he keeps on getting better.

The Minnesota Timberwolves needed someone who can show some veteran leadership and Butler can do that. Minnesota needed someone who can take the ball and score and Butler can do that. To paraphrase Michael Wilbon in the closing moments on ESPN’s telecast of the draft, president of basketball operations and head coach Tom Thibodeau had a lot of boxes to check and he did just that with the acquisition of Butler.

Wilbon also mentioned that the presence of Butler will allow Thibodeau to push the other players on the Wolves more. I agree. Butler is the literal proof that the Thibodeau system works in both a personal game and in a team game.

This past season was the only season that Thibodeau did not make the playoffs as a head coach in the NBA. It was the only season that he didn’t have Butler on his team. The game of basketball isn’t as simple as if you add Jimmy Butler to your team and you will automatically make the playoffs, but that will be the case for the Wolves.

Butler comes to Minnesota with the best supporting cast that one can dream of. Karl-Anthony Towns is going to be a superstar as well and will be a MVP candidate in the coming years. Andrew Wiggins has the potential to be a star, too. The nucleus of the Wolves is much stronger on Thursday night than it was on Thursday morning.

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The Wolves did have to trade Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn, but that is the price of poker when you want to trade for one of the best players in the Association. LaVine could very well also be a star, but nothing is for certain after his ACL tear. There’s not a whole lot of tape on Kris Dunn, so take this with a grain of salt, but Dunn did not live up to the hype in his rookie season. Both LaVine and Dunn have potential, but Butler is a proven asset.

You’ll read a lot of hype over the next few days about Butler and that’s for good reason. You might even get a phone call from a Timberwolves ticket salesperson. You might even want to sign up for those tickets to get yourself in line for playoff priority.

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