JIMMY!

[GooooMarquette]

Getting the best of LBJ tonight.  Forced him into two huge TOs down the stretch.

[Groin_pull]

Getting the best of LBJ tonight.  Forced him into two huge TOs down the stretch.

And he's not yapping. Just keeping his mouth shut and kicking butt.

[Galway Eagle]

And he's not yapping. Just keeping his mouth shut and kicking butt.

Not according to Wadesworld

[🏀]

Jimmy knows you don't yap at LeBron. That's not a good idea.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Bulls catching an enormous break without Love playing. 

[buckchuckler]

Eh, no one cried for the bulls the last few years, except bulls fans.

[royceda5 9]

Congrats to Jimmy! Glad he's still killing it but does the east even matter? The west is gonna run train on whoever gets through.

[LloydsLegs]

Bulls catching an enormous break without Love playing. 

True (and Smith for 2 games).  But as buckchuckler notes, how about the last 4 years for the Bulls?  Rose, Deng, Noah, Gibson (and various supporting cast members) out or limited during playoffs.  And look around the league...many teams this year lost critical pieces (OKC, LAC, Portland, Bucks...).  Part of the grind.  And this is not a done deal by any means for the Bulls.  If LBJ decides to do it, he can carry the team (as good as Jimmy is, he cannot defend him in the post).

[Groin_pull]

Bulls catching an enormous break without Love playing. 

Shouldn't you be watching hockey?

[Dr. Blackheart]

Bulls catching an enormous break without Love playing. 

Just to note that Noah is playing on one leg so maybe not as big of an advantage.  Cleveland was out of sync with the long rest I thought.  Had nothing left for the last run.  Irving and Schumpert were carving up the Bulls defense with Jimmy on LBJ (although Jimmy was on Irving a bit).  It will be a long series as the Bulls are slow grinders and are vulnerable to penetrating guards.

Liked that Thibs gave Jmmy the ball at the end instead of Rose as he had the matchup (and Rose would only look to shoot).

[lurch91]

Great efficient game from JFB!  Awesome game by a true Warrior.

[Lennys Tap]

Bulls catching an enormous break without Love playing. 

Houston caught an enormous break with CP3 not playing. Lost (AT HOME) by 16.

When the Bulls have had to play without Rose (and others) I don't recall you coming on here and talking about any enormous breaks for their opponents. Kevin Love is a nice player. Third best guy on the Cavs. Injuries happen, man up or go home - no whining.

[jsglow]

True (and Smith for 2 games).  But as buckchuckler notes, how about the last 4 years for the Bulls?  Rose, Deng, Noah, Gibson (and various supporting cast members) out or limited during playoffs.  And look around the league...many teams this year lost critical pieces (OKC, LAC, Portland, Bucks...).  Part of the grind.  And this is not a done deal by any means for the Bulls.  If LBJ decides to do it, he can carry the team (as good as Jimmy is, he cannot defend him in the post).

I think that's a bit strong.  As Sir Charles said last night, Irving and James could score 35 apiece and that's still only 70.  Cleveland's big problem is that they simply have no way to handle Gasol without Love.  I'm thinking Bulls in 6 and even that could be charitable.  IF Chicago wins Wednesday, it'll be 4 or 5.

[jsglow]

Houston caught an enormous break with CP3 not playing. Lost (AT HOME) by 16.

When the Bulls have had to play without Rose (and others) I don't recall you coming on here and talking about any enormous breaks for their opponents. Kevin Love is a nice player. Third best guy on the Cavs. Injuries happen, man up or go home - no whining.

Shocked the heck out of me.  I didn't watch.  What happened there?

[JWags85]

Shocked the heck out of me.  I didn't watch.  What happened there?

Houston sleep-walked into the game and assumed that they had it won before it started, being at home and with no CP3.  Griffin and Barnes stepped up huge and they controlled the game for much of it.

As for the Bulls, I think it was less about the Cavs being rusty and more about Rose having 2+ days of rest.  When on more than 1 day of rest, his 2PT and 3PT shooting percentages jump by 15% and 5%, respectively, which drives a lot for the Bulls offensively.

And JFB on Lebron?  Jimmy guarded him for 73 of 75 possessions last night, Bron Bron was 7 for 18 with 5 TOs.  I think he can handle him just fine, inside or out.

[jsglow]

Houston sleep-walked into the game and assumed that they had it won before it started, being at home and with no CP3.  Griffin and Barnes stepped up huge and they controlled the game for much of it.

As for the Bulls, I think it was less about the Cavs being rusty and more about Rose having 2+ days of rest.  When on more than 1 day of rest, his 2PT and 3PT shooting percentages jump by 15% and 5%, respectively, which drives a lot for the Bulls offensively.

And JFB on Lebron?  Jimmy guarded him for 73 of 75 possessions last night, Bron Bron was 7 for 18 with 5 TOs.  I think he can handle him just fine, inside or out.

Totally agree.  Last year when he was with the Heat Jimmy would cover James and then 'get a break' by covering DWade when James rested.

[frozena pizza]

JFB did as good a job as anyone can reasonably expect to do on LeBron.  Kept him out of sync all night.  Bulls are a clear favorite in this series with Love out and Smith gone for another game.

[GooooMarquette]

Houston caught an enormous break with CP3 not playing. Lost (AT HOME) by 16.

When the Bulls have had to play without Rose (and others) I don't recall you coming on here and talking about any enormous breaks for their opponents. Kevin Love is a nice player. Third best guy on the Cavs. Injuries happen, man up or go home - no whining.

Agreed.  Injuries are as much a part of the game as controversial calls or guys having career nights.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Shouldn't you be watching hockey?

I didn't watch the Bulls game.  Ducks didn't play last night.  Love's injury is big, they were the favorites to advance from the east if healthy.  Not any longer.  Guys play hurt this time of year...that's different than guys not playing at all.  Hard to replace a guy at 18ppg, with the range he has and the size.  There is a reason he will be one of the most coveted free agents, because he is very good. 

[LloydsLegs]

BTW, for those who did watch the game, is Chris Webber as bad as I think he is? 

[GGGG]

BTW, for those who did watch the game, is Chris Webber as bad as I think he is? 

I like him.

[frozena pizza]

Houston sleep-walked into the game and assumed that they had it won before it started, being at home and with no CP3.  Griffin and Barnes stepped up huge and they controlled the game for much of it.

I'll admit I didn't watch the game that closely but it seemed like the Clippers were the ones with the lackluster start with 19 points in the first quarter and trailing at the half, maybe due to being without CP3.  Then they dominated the second half.

[MUSF]

JFB did as good a job as anyone can reasonably expect to do on LeBron.  Kept him out of sync all night.  Bulls are a clear favorite in this series with Love out and Smith gone for another game.

Teal?  Or did you forget the best player on the planet plays for the other team?

[jesmu84]

I didn't watch the Bulls game.  Ducks didn't play last night.  Love's injury is big, they were the favorites to advance from the east if healthy.  Not any longer.  Guys play hurt this time of year...that's different than guys not playing at all.  Hard to replace a guy at 18ppg, with the range he has and the size.  There is a reason he will be one of the most coveted free agents, because he is very good. 

Like Conley Jr? Chris Paul? etc, etc

[MUVander]

For anyone who didn't know, Jimmy was named the NBA most improved player a few hours ago.

[RushmoreAcademy]

For anyone who didn't know, Jimmy was named the NBA most improved player a few hours ago.

Well deserved.

[MU82]

Just to note that Noah is playing on one leg so maybe not as big of an advantage. 

My son still lives in Chicago (I moved out 5 years ago) and is a huge Bulls fan. He follows the team far more than I do. He told me on the phone yesterday that he wishes Thibs would play Gibson more and Noah less because Noah is so obviously unable to do what makes him a good player. I watched last night's game with that in mind and Noah, indeed, looked quite limited.

[CTWarrior]

From ESPN.com today

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/jon-greenberg/post/_/id/866/latest-accolade-just-another-tracking-point-on-butlers-upward-trajectory

[GooooMarquette]

From ESPN.com today

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/jon-greenberg/post/_/id/866/latest-accolade-just-another-tracking-point-on-butlers-upward-trajectory

Great article.  I loved "it takes a village to raise a Jimmy."

[StillAWarrior]

I love Jimmy Butler.  He's one of my all-time favorites at Marquette and probably my favorite NBA player right now.  But, having lived in Cleveland for nearly 25 years since I graduated, I do have to say that he traveled on that last basket in Game 3 on Friday night.   (Hell of a play, though!)

[Sunbelt15]

Jimmy Butler is just another Joe Johnson. The go to, superstar leader will never be. The series ends tonight!

[MU82]

Jimmy Butler is just another Joe Johnson. The go to, superstar leader will never be. The series ends tonight!

I don't know what this even means or has to do with anything.

For one thing, Joe Johnson only wishes he could defend like Jimmy does.

For another, Jimmy only wishes he could be compensated like Joe Johnson (6 yrs, $124 million).

They are not similar players. But yes, they both are 6-7-ish and black.

[LloydsLegs]

I don't know what this even means or has to do with anything.

For one thing, Joe Johnson only wishes he could defend like Jimmy does.

For another, Jimmy only wishes he could be compensated like Joe Johnson (6 yrs, $124 million).

They are not similar players. But yes, they both are 6-7-ish and black.

And it will be so.  Soon.

[MUSF]

Congrats to Jimmy on an excellent season, but the Bulls playoff exit was pretty embarrassing.

[withoutbias]

Congrats to Jimmy on an excellent season, but the Bulls playoff exit was pretty embarrassing.

When Matthew Delevedova outplays Derrick Rose, that'll happen.

[MU82]

And it will be so.  Soon.

Well, JFB is about to be rich, rich, rich ... but not $124 million rich.

[tompopsicle]

Butler's not too keen on Milwaukee though...

http://marquette.247sports.com/Bolt/Bulls-SG-Jimmy-Butler-doesnt-like-Milwaukee-37026224

[Eldon]

Butler's not too keen on Milwaukee though...

http://marquette.247sports.com/Bolt/Bulls-SG-Jimmy-Butler-doesnt-like-Milwaukee-37026224

Relevance?  He is already on record as saying that he LOVES the UP.

Seriously though, was this just a PR statement (i.e., rile up Bulls fans) or his actual opinion?

[LAZER]

Well, JFB is about to be rich, rich, rich ... but not $124 million rich.

I remember reading 5 years $91MM is what the Bulls max would be.

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

Lebron scored 26 a game on him at under 40%......he kind of made Lebron a liability......he's got some defensive chops

[Golden Avalanche]

Lebron scored 26 a game on him at under 40%......he kind of made Lebron a liability......he's got some defensive chops

It's clear you're the best player in the world when you can drop 26/game and it can be construed as a liability.

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

I'm a bit of a Bulls fan because of Jimmy....other teams will try to steal him away......ultimately he's going to get a max contract offer from another team and then the Bulls match immediately

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

It's clear you're the best player in the world when you can drop 26/game and it can be construed as a liability.

26 points at under 40% is a liability where I come from...

[Golden Avalanche]

26 points at under 40% is a liability where I come from...

I'm sure it is. And I'll bet in this world of yours, the millions of other humans who consider James a liability stand strong with you.

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

Has anyone ever seen a player improve from game-to-game like Jimmy?  I was astounded watching him at MU.....wasn't the best player.....but you saw improvement every game.....and so incredibly efficient

[DomJamesToTheBasket]

I'm sure it is. And I'll bet in this world of yours, the millions of other humans who consider James a liability stand strong with you.

If your team shoots under 40% are you going to win?  That doesn't mean Lebron got stopped.....he's a passer and rebounder too......but Jimmy probably is the best defender of Lebron in the world.

[withoutbias]

Butler's not too keen on Milwaukee though...

http://marquette.247sports.com/Bolt/Bulls-SG-Jimmy-Butler-doesnt-like-Milwaukee-37026224

money talks.  if milwaukee offers so much as a hundred dollar bill more than the bulls, jimmy will be in milwaukee regardless of whether he loves, hates, or is indifferent about milwaukee.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

money talks.  if milwaukee offers so much as a hundred dollar bill more than the bulls, jimmy will be in milwaukee regardless of whether he loves, hates, or is indifferent about milwaukee.

Completely wrong as the Bulls have the right to match any offer Jimmy receives. 

[withoutbias]

Completely wrong as the Bulls have the right to match any offer Jimmy receives. 

right.  so nothing about my statement is wrong.  if the bucks give jimmy $100 more than the bulls do he will be in milwaukee regardless of how he says he feels about it.  wherever he gets the most money is where he will be, just like every professional athlete signing the main contract of his career.  the bulls have the right to match it, but he's not taking $24,999,900.00 from the bulls if the bucks offer $25M.

[StillAWarrior]

Completely wrong as the Bulls have the right to match any offer Jimmy receives. 

I think he's wrong too...but not for the reason you say.  It's possible (although probably unlikely) that the Bucks could make Jimmy an offer that the Bulls don't match. 

His point is that if the Buck offer Jimmy $100 more than the Bulls, Jimmy will go to the Bucks.  I really doubt that is true.  Now if we're talking an extra million or two, well...

[Vander Blue Man Group]

right.  so nothing about my statement is wrong.  if the bucks give jimmy $100 more than the bulls do he will be in milwaukee regardless of how he says he feels about it.  wherever he gets the most money is where he will be, just like every professional athlete signing the main contract of his career.  the bulls have the right to match it, but he's not taking $24,999,900.00 from the bulls if the bucks offer $25M.

Ridiculous logic as it is a scenario that's has no chance of occurring.

[Vander Blue Man Group]

I think he's wrong too...but not for the reason you say.  It's possible (although probably unlikely) that the Bucks could make Jimmy an offer that the Bulls don't match. 

His point is that if the Buck offer Jimmy $100 more than the Bulls, Jimmy will go to the Bucks.  I really doubt that is true.  Now if we're talking an extra million or two, well...

The Bulls will match any offer he gets, if it even gets to that point.

[withoutbias]

Ridiculous logic as it is a scenario that's has no chance of occurring.

who ever said that was going to happen?  i said money talks.  and, well, money talks.

[BallBoy]

right.  so nothing about my statement is wrong.  if the bucks give jimmy $100 more than the bulls do he will be in milwaukee regardless of how he says he feels about it.  wherever he gets the most money is where he will be, just like every professional athlete signing the main contract of his career.  the bulls have the right to match it, but he's not taking $24,999,900.00 from the bulls if the bucks offer $25M.

The Bulls can offer him the most money so the only way the Bucks can pay him more is if the Bulls don't offer the max contract and the Bulls don't match the Bucks max offer. The only reason the Bucks are mentioned is to fill airtime.

[withoutbias]

The Bulls can offer him the most money so the only way the Bucks can pay him more is if the Bulls don't offer the max contract and the Bulls don't match the Bucks max offer. The only reason the Bucks are mentioned is to fill airtime.

it has nothing to do with the bucks. jimmy will play wherever the money takes him. simple as that.

[MUSF]

Lebron scored 26 a game on him at under 40%......he kind of made Lebron a liability......he's got some defensive chops

If you actually watched this series and came away thinking that Lebron was a liability to the Cavs, then you are either insane or insanely dumb about bball.

[brewcity77]

it has nothing to do with the bucks. jimmy will play wherever the money takes him. simple as that.

And league rules dictate no team can pay him more than the Bulls. So if, as you say, money talks, there's no conversation to be had because Chicago, by NBA rules, is able to give him the most.

[withoutbias]

And league rules dictate no team can pay him more than the Bulls. So if, as you say, money talks, there's no conversation to be had because Chicago, by NBA rules, is able to give him the most.

right, if the bulls choose to offer him the max they can then jimmy will be in chicago. if the bucks offer him more than anybody else is willing to and the bulls aren't willing to match it then jimmy will be in milwaukee regardless of what he said about the city. i really don't get what is so hard for you people to understand. wherever the money is going to come from is where jimmy butler will play, whether it's chicago, milwaukee, portland, oakland, la, dallas, new orleans, ny, cleveland...need I continue?

[MU82]

right.  so nothing about my statement is wrong.  if the bucks give jimmy $100 more than the bulls do he will be in milwaukee regardless of how he says he feels about it.  wherever he gets the most money is where he will be, just like every professional athlete signing the main contract of his career.  the bulls have the right to match it, but he's not taking $24,999,900.00 from the bulls if the bucks offer $25M.

You very well might be right, but you do know that there have been many, many, many athletes who have played for less money than they could have gotten from Team A because they really wanted to play for Team B, right?

Sports history is filled with "hometown discounts," athletes wanting to play where they are "most comfortable," etc. For example, Joe Mauer could have gotten millions more in NY or LA but wanted to stay in Minnesota.

I have no idea about Jimmy's thinking on this. Maybe, like most athletes, he will go for the very last dollar. But, again, some athletes do not do this.

[brewcity77]

right, if the bulls choose to offer him the max they can then jimmy will be in chicago. if the bucks offer him more than anybody else is willing to and the bulls aren't willing to match it then jimmy will be in milwaukee regardless of what he said about the city. i really don't get what is so hard for you people to understand. wherever the money is going to come from is where jimmy butler will play, whether it's chicago, milwaukee, portland, oakland, la, dallas, new orleans, ny, cleveland...need I continue?

No, but you probably will. I don't get why you have this long. You keep saying it's about the money, which means he will stay in Chicago. End of story...or it should be. But then you list 8 other cities that can't pay him what Chicago can.

Do you realize that your argument contradicts itself any time you mention a city not starting with a "C", ending with an "O", and having "hicag" in the middle?

[WarriorPA]

In summary, the Bulls are able to offer more money than anyone else, if they choose to do so.

They do not have to offer Jimmy their max, which is how he could end up somewhere else. They will have the opportunity to match any offer another team puts forth.

[withoutbias]

No, but you probably will. I don't get why you have this long. You keep saying it's about the money, which means he will stay in Chicago. End of story...or it should be. But then you list 8 other cities that can't pay him what Chicago can.

Do you realize that your argument contradicts itself any time you mention a city not starting with a "C", ending with an "O", and having "hicag" in the middle?

no, it doesn't. you're usually a pretty intelligent poster brew. this is not your finest moment. just because chicago had the right/ability to offer jimmy the most money doesn't mean they are required to or will. every player in the nba in theory could be offered a max contract when they become a free agent, and that would mean the team they are on when they become a free agent in theory has the ability to offer that player more money than any other team is willing to. just because they have the right to do that does not mean they are required to do so. just because mike dunleavy left the bucks and signed with the bulls doesn't mean the bucks offered him a max contract but he signed for less in chicago because he liked the city better. your thought process is beyond way off here.

i'll say it one more time and maybe you'll finally learn to comprehend it. whatever team offers jimmy the most money is where jimmy will play next year. it's really, really simple. yes chicago has the OPTION to offer him more than any other team is allowed, and yes chicago has the OPTION to match any offer another team might give jimmy, but just because they have those OPTIONS doesn't mean they are REQUIRED to do so. it's certainly extremely likely he signs a long term deal with chicago. but no, it's not because he likes chicago so much he'll just say the hell with money i love this city. it's because the money was in chicago. if the bulls are dumb enough to not match an offer, jimmy will play where the money takes him, even if it's milwaukee, a city he claims to not like. not a difficult concept.

in fact it's the exact same story for the bucks' own 2 guard. just because the bucks CAN give more money to middleton or CAN match any offer he's given doesn't mean they HAVE to. it's really, really simple.

nowhere did i say jimmy WONT be in chicago. just saying jimmy will go wherever the money takes him. hell, if the money somehow took him to pakistan we'd be trying to find online streams of his games next year.

nothing that i have said is contradictory. or wrong.