longstrangetrip wrote:Cam asked earlier in this thread for more out-of-the-box thinking...well, here you go.
After watching KAT in the playoffs last season and in almost every game this year, I'm beginning to think that Butler is not the guy we should be trading...it's KAT. I loved him up until the playoffs last year, but I'm becoming more and more convinced he has no heart, and is not the right guy to have as the cornerstone of this franchise. KAT brings back more in a trade than Butler, and I'm confident Butler signs a long-term deal here if KAT is gone.
But the first step is to fire Thibs...today. If I'm Glen I fire Thibs today, and watch a few games to see how the team responds. Maybe the results are so good he decides to keep both Butler and KAT. Or maybe KAT returns to the pre-playoffs KAT, and Glen continues to look for the best deal for Butler. Or...maybe KAT continues to pout, short-arm shots and ask to be taken out after airballing a three, and Glen changes his focus on who should be traded (if he hasn't already).
Butler was awful last night, but he has been a much better player this season than KAT...much better. If KAT is the reason Butler wants to leave (and I think it is), he needs to be considered for trade. I'm tired of watching him play with less passion than Wiggins.
LST - I really think it's time for you to move on from Butler. You and Thibs. :). Seriously, Butler doesn't want to be here. We all know that. And I doubt his desire to leave is tied solely to KAT. Look at KAT's three-year track record before you start calling for him to be traded based on 4 games this season. Reading things that other players have said about Butler and talking to someone last night who knows him, Butler is a guy you might tolerate, but don't like being around or playing with.
And let's think back for a moment. In the year Sam Mitchell coached, the Wolves were 15-15 their last 30 games, including some impressive wins against good teams like the road OT win over the Warriors who were striving to break the Bulls season-win total record. That's the team Thibodeau inherited. That team was centered around KAT, Wiggins and LaVine. Zach is gone, but KAT and Wiggins are still here and I believe they're the same people they were then. It would be beyond ridiculous to consider trading Towns without first giving him a full season under a coach other than Thibodeau. It's easy for us to tell a 23-year old to such it up and perform at his absolute top level. But if any of us were in a workplace with a boss like Thibodeau and a complete asshole co-worker going out of his say to publicly embarrass us, our performance just might suffer a bit - especially if we remember back to when we were only 23 years old.
Butler is an injury-prone jerk. He wants to leave and he WILL be gone if not this season certainly before next season. Moreover, until Thibodeau is replaced, this team and its individual players cannot be fairly or accurately assessed.
