Jimmy Butler Facing Backlash for Performance in Warriors' Elimination Game
The Golden State Warriors came into Wednesday on the verge of being knocked out of the NBA playoffs after a very promising close to their regular season.
They came into Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves down three games to one, and they ended up losing by a final score of 121-110.
Advertisement
Jimmy Butler, the man who turned their season around when he arrived in a February trade, had another underwhelming game with 17 points on 4-of-11 shooting. It caused one user on X to make a big claim about the six-time All-Star forward.
"Jimmy Butler the most overrated player in the NBA," the user That Blame Guy wrote.
Some fans seemed to agree.
"'Playoff Jimmy' and its just a weak conference," one user wrote.
"Playoff Jimmy wasn't a thing in the finals tho 🤔," a second user wrote.
"Hitched their wagon to that bum he fooled the whole Dub nation 😂," another user wrote.
"He may be," a fourth user wrote. "That 2023 run is kinda overrated too. Caleb Martin was better against the Celtics than he was."
But some fans feel Butler isn't overrated -- they think some simply expect too much from him.
Advertisement
"Not at all," one user wrote. "Just not a 1st option. The the Pippen to an MJ."
"I don't think he's overrated, I just don't think he's a 1st option," another user wrote. "He's a really good support piece, same with Draymond for the Warriors specifically, but it's like having two powerful upgrades for a weapon but you haven't unlocked the actual weapon ☠️"
Butler came to Golden State from the Miami Heat, a team he transformed from a lottery squad to a contender immediately when he joined them in 2019.
The Heat improbably reached the NBA Finals twice in his first four seasons with them, and they came very close to a third trip to the championship series in 2022. But that unit had run its course, and Butler demanded a trade several months ago.
Advertisement
While he is one of the game's deadliest players in crunch time, he has always been a team player to a fault and usually becomes aggressive in terms of looking for his own shot for long stretches only when necessary.
© Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Golden State's immediate future does look bright with Butler on board. He and Stephen Curry, who went out in Game 1 versus Minnesota with a hamstring strain, should be able to make the team into a legitimate championship contender next season.
It does need more size and a little more firepower off the bench, but other than that, its dynasty does appear to have been resurrected thanks to Butler's arrival.
Related: Kendrick Perkins Sends Strong Nikola Jokic Message After Nuggets' Loss
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Wayne Gretzky Names Greatest Basketball Player of All Time
Social media can tend to be a disaster when it comes to debating almost anything, right down to something relatively innocent, like "hot dogs vs. hamburgers." That notion is particularly true any time the topic of "GOAT" (Greatest of All Time) comes up. Advertisement Whether it's in regard to the greatest rapper of all time—the Tupac/Biggie debate will likely never end—or the greatest athlete of all time, it's kind of become a continuous carousel of noise where no one really ever changes their mind. One of the most common debates that can be found on a daily, nearly hourly basis is whether or not LeBron James has surpassed Michael Jordan as the NBA's quintessential "GOAT." Michael Jordan and LeBron James shake hands during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game as part of NBA All Star Weekend on February 20, 2022. Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images For topics that typically end up getting as heated as the LeBron vs. MJ "conversation," sometimes it might make the most sense to lean on the big guns for a definitive declaration. And who better than hockey royalty like Wayne Gretzky—quite literally known as "The Great One"—to put a very clear stamp on said debate? Advertisement So, during a recent appearance on the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce, Gretzky was asked for his opinion on that very topic. "Well the NBA's pretty easy," Gretzky casually stated. "Twenty-three, that one's pretty easy, right." While James and Jordan both stake claim to No. 23, Travis quickly confirmed by saying, "Mike, yeah," seemingly to prevent any kind of confusion before moving on. Now, while this is just Gretzky's opinion, the beauty of the great No. 99 throwing his opinion into the often tense NBA "GOAT" conversation is that it's offered up a brand new layer to the social media chatter, as basketball fans can now begin debating as to whether or not Wayne Gretzky is right or wrong. Advertisement The four-time Stanley Cup champion went on to discuss the greatest to ever do it in each of the other major sports—MLB, NFL and NHL—and did not name himself when it came to the hockey "GOAT" even though there are many sports fans out there who deem him as such. Related: Scottie Scheffler's Son Had Unfortunate Bathroom Accident at Memorial Tournament Wayne Gretzky Names Greatest Basketball Player of All Time first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 2, 2025
Forbes
22 minutes ago
- Forbes
Baron Davis On How The Charlotte Hornets Can End Their Playoff Drought: ‘For One, They Have To Be Healthy'
It's hard to believe it, but the Charlotte Hornets haven't won a playoff series since Baron Davis suited up for them. The former two-time All-Star guard played for the Hornets from 1999 until 2005. Davis was the face of the franchise after the team selected him with the third overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-3 guard led Charlotte to the playoffs during all five full seasons he was with the team, leading them to their last playoff series win in 2002. Flash forward 23 years later and the Hornets haven't won a playoff series since. Charlotte has the longest current NBA playoff series win drought and the longest postseason appearance drought, with their last one coming during the 2015-16 season. The Hornets have some key young franchise pieces, including LaMelo Ball, a former All-Star who averaged 25.2 points per game during the 2024-25 season. However, Ball only started 47 games and he was ruled out for the remainder of the season in late March due to two procedures to address ankle and wrist issues. Ball has only appeared in a combined 105 games over the past three since his All-Star appearance in 2022. The injuries to Ball combined to other key pieces of the team such as Brandon Miller and Tre Mann have played a major role in Charlotte's playoff drought. The Hornets finished with a 19-63 record, the third-worst mark in the NBA. "For one, they have to be healthy when you're a young team like that," says Davis in a one-on-one interview when asked what they do need to do get things on the right track. "It's important that your chemistry is on and when you look at Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, Tre Mann, all these guys have been hurt over the last year and a half, two seasons. "It's really derailed their growth as that next young team that could potentially be scary," Davis continues to say. "The next Detroit or Houston as far as talent. I think for the Hornets, they need to get some able bodies and the right combination of veteran leadership to complement their young superstars." The Hornets have been among the worst teams in the NBA in recent seasons, all coinciding with major injuries to Ball. During the 2023-24 season, Charlotte posted a 21-61 record and during the 2022-23 season, they posted a 27-55 record. For three consecutive years, the Hornets have posted the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. By comparison, they racked up a respectable 43-39 record during the 2021-22 campaign, the last season Ball was healthy. "We can't really start the process of seeing what you have, where you want to go, setting different goals, until you actually have a full squad, and they've never started and finished the season with the same squad," says Davis. When asked what the Hornets should do with their No. 4 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Davis says that if he was the general manager, he would be "exploring all options." "If I was the GM, I'd be exploring all options," says Davis. "I'd be trying to compliment LaMelo Ball with a veteran star or superstar, somebody that can anchor these young guys. With the fourth pick, there's going to be some great talent. But I think the Hornets are in a good position, because they got a lot of really good young talent and really good young talent that has potential. This can be an incredible off season for them where they can align themselves and put the right team together." While Davis is obviously best known for his 13-year NBA career, he has since made his mark as an entrepreneur. The 46-year-old Davis is making his mark in the business world with "Business Inside The Game," which is a membership community for athletes and entrepreneurs. Davis will be at the Social Innovation Summit on Tuesday and Wednesday in San Francisco, California and is speaking on stage on Wednesday for "A Future Worth Building: Gamechangers in Action" in session. He'll be speaking to attendees on what it means to drive social impact through entrepreneurship. "This is the first one that we're collaborating with Business Inside The Game," says Davis. Our platform and our membership concierge is starting to expand into partnerships with social innovation, which is one of the leading platforms in our space." The former NBA guard has done a few of these events at the Social Innovation Summit and explains why it's important for entrepreneurs or those thinking of becoming one to attend. "As we start looking at sports and entertainment, things are changing," says Davis. "There's going to be new opportunities and new verticals. When you look at the student athlete, the NIL athlete, professional athletes have more opportunities now to treat themselves as entrepreneurs based on the skills they want to develop and the connections and who they want to be when they grow up." Davis' biggest advice to young athletes — many who are already business-minded and entrepreneurs during their college careers — is to "invest in yourself." "Invest in yourself, invest in your education, invest in your skill sets," says Davis. "The same way you would invest in your playing career, some of the things that you want to as an entrepreneur, whatever that industry is, investing your knowledge in that industry. In turn, shadow, find mentors, because that's going to ultimately help you succeed as an entrepreneur." The former All-Star guard will be launching his app for "Business Inside The Game" this year, which is a concierge for executives, entrepreneurs and investors. He details that through membership in the app, members have special access to events behind the scenes and special activations. He also is releasing a business-centric podcast in July of the same name as his company. He name drops guests such as Jack Black, Draymond Green and Russell Westbrook's wife, Nina, who is an entrepreneur herself after starring at UCLA as a basketball player. Davis details how the biggest challenge of being an entrepreneur is the "lonely road" you travel to build your business. "Just learning how to really run a show," says Davis. "as an entrepreneur, you have to do everything for your business. In sports, you already have a team, you already have an institution and people around you. As an entrepreneur, it's more of a lonely road."
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Vanessa Bryant Seemingly Addresses Claims She's Pregnant in Poignant Instagram Post
Vanessa Bryant has seemingly shut down online speculation regarding an unfounded pregnancy. Vanessa, 43, took to her Instagram Stories on Sunday, June 1, to share a captioned meme of Rihanna bobbing about water with a snorkel mask atop her forehead, carrying a drink and flipping her middle finger. The caption read, 'Me protecting my peace, not pregnant & having fun all summer.' The Story arrived amid online chatter that suggested the widow of NBA legend Kobe Bryant was expecting her fifth child. Us Weekly has reached out to a representative for Vanessa for comment. Vanessa Bryant Debuts 'Extra Special' Statue of Late Husband Kobe and Daughter Gianna Additional Instagram Stories on Sunday evening also seemingly shone a light on Vanessa's current mindset, with a later post sharing candid text from a self development and motivation Instagram account. 'The only way to impress me, is by being a good person,' the post read. 'I don't care what you have, what you wear, where you live, or what you drive. I just have deep respect for people with pure hearts and good intentions.' A third Story featured a second photo of Rihanna, 37, as part of another online meme, accompanied by the caption, 'I'm not mean, I'm just not the one.' Vanessa, who was married to Kobe from 2001 until the athlete's passing in 2020, is mother to four children: Natalia, 22, Bianka, 8, Capri, 5, and Gianna, who also passed away in 2020. The businesswoman and philanthropist offered fans a look into how close her family has remained over time, sharing a video from a winter vacation with Natalia, Bianka and Capri at the end of December 2024. In the footage, the girls were seen hitting the slopes for some skiing and posing in front of Christmas trees as they enjoyed their winter wonderland. Vanessa also shared photos that captured the clan's trip to Disneyland last year. On April 6, Gianna, a rising star in women's basketball, was remembered by the sporting community after Connecticut's UConn Huskies celebrated winning the women's NCAA basketball championship. Vanessa shared an Instagram note about the team's success that mentioned her late daughter at the time. Kobe Bryant's Daughter Bianka Shows Off Her Basketball Skills Playing With WNBA Alum Candace Parker 'Gigi would've loved being there with you,' the mother wrote via her Instagram Stories. 'When you think you can't, UConn ~ Gianna Bryant 💔❤️.' Vanessa also tagged UConn head coach, Geno Auriemma, and congratulated him on the title win, which marked the school's 12th national title and first since 2016. Kobe and Gianna were both killed in a January 2020 helicopter crash that also took the lives of seven other people. Kobe was 41 years old and Gianna was 13.
