What Spoelstra told Kerr about Butler immediately after Warriors trade
What Spoelstra told Kerr about Butler immediately after Warriors trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Despite some concern about how Jimmy Butler would fit into the Warriors' culture, coach Steve Kerr's mind was at ease.
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That's because his good friend and longtime Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra reassured him before Golden State acquired the six-time NBA All-Star at the February trade deadline.
'Erik Spoelstra told me immediately, 'He's going to be great for you.' And I know Spo really well from the last couple of summers and I trust him,' Kerr told Tim Kawakami on 'The TK Show.' 'I believed him and he was right. Within a couple of days of his arrival, Jimmy was so easy to speak with.
'He reminded me of Andre [Iguodala] with the basketball intellect, but also the interest in the world perspective and the maturity. It was really fun to get to know Jimmy right away and to see the impact he had on our team and our locker room.'
There was plenty of chatter about Butler's locker room fit in Golden State since the veteran forward's relationship with his previous team, the Heat, and particularly team president Pat Riley, soured.
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Things got so bad that Butler was suspended multiple times by Miami after missing a team flight, walking out of a shootaround, and other actions deemed as 'detrimental' to the team. And given that it wasn't the first time Butler left a team on bad terms, there were reasonable worries for the Warriors.
But those concerns immediately were put to rest upon Butler's arrival, as his impact quite literally did the opposite as he provided a rejuvenated energy to Golden State both on and off the floor. His relationship with Buddy Hield in particular warmed the hearts of Dub Nation.
'He was an absolute dream,' Kerr said. 'I know everything that happened in Miami would not have suggested that, but I can only base Jimmy's impact and his personality and all that stuff on my experience. And he was the model citizen. Just an amazing guy to coach these last few months.'
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