PHILADELPHIA – Sooooo …
What really happened when Jimmy Butler and Brett Brown got into an argument during a film session in Portland on Dec. 29. How bad was it? And who might be the fall guy?
By all accounts, Butler v. Brown was heated, and it was the latest development in a locker room populated with players who are not always reacting to Brown’s motivational tactics in ways he has anticipated.
Everyone on the Sixers knew the acquisition of Butler was a risky one because of his history of not always getting along with younger players in the locker room. But he was known to be super loyal to coach Tom Thibodeau, mostly because he respected Thibs’ passion for winning.
But since Butler arrived, Joel Embiid has been marginalized to a degree on offense, much to his displeasure; Ben Simmons and Embiid have had spats here and there — most recently over a rebound that would have given Simmons a triple-double but nearly re-fractured Embiid’s eye socket, and several rotation changes have taken place as Markelle Fultz has become a forgotten entity.
One person close to the team made a very astute point: Coach Brown seeks player input during film sessions more than many other NBA coaches, and the disagreement — heated, no doubt; but not physical — was not excessively worse than what many NBA teams experience behind closed doors.
But the fact that it happened at a time when Brown’s motivational methods are increasingly being heard by a skeptical audience, it is not helping his standing in the locker room.
The Sixers are 26-14 with a cupcake schedule ahead of them in the near future: Jan. 17 against Indiana is their next game against an opponent with a winning record. At this point a year ago, they were 20-20.
But the schedule gets brutal after that with with a dozen straight games against tough teams before a respite against the Knicks on Feb. 13.
Between now and then, the challenge for Brown will be maintaining control of the locker room and regaining the respect of a younger generation of players who often see older coaches as dinosaurs rather than fonts of institutional wisdom
People speak emotionally in emotional situations, and sometimes they cross lines that should not be crossed. But from what people around the Sixers were saying before and after their 106-100 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, the disagreement was more about how often Brown was using Butler in the pick-and-roll than it was over anything more malicious.
Butler’s reputation as a sometimes difficult guy (he is knows to pick on younger teammates) certainly is befitting, but his basketball IQ and his will to win are strong. He just doesn’t always know how to express it.
From some accounts, he took advantage of an opportunity to pounce on Brown when the coach was vulnerable.
And it should be noted that Butler and Simmons are tight.
“When it started it was obviously different because you have a new guy coming in, but I think Jimmy [Butler] has been great,” Ben Simmons said. “Personally, for me, he’s been amazing, helping my development and my game get to that next level. He gives me a lot of confidence when I’m out there. Another guy you can really talk to and learn from off the floor.”
On a certain level, the Sixers were clearly in damage control mode on a night Butler (upper respiratory infection) was not even in the building.
But the tension associated with that damage control mode was heightened because the report aired on ESPN, thereby sending it viral — despite the fact that the news took more than a week to leak out.
The bottom line on this one?
There is tension in Philly, and where the team goes over the next six weeks will probably determine more whether Brown will survive than whether Butler will stick around.
Coach vs. player feuds usually go to the player, and Butler is the first acquisition made by Elton Brand.
If one goes first, it will likely be Brown. But that does not necessarily mean Butler sticks around forever.
Because if Philly flames out in the postseason, he is not worthy of a long-term max salary commitment. There are other players who can keep the Sixers strong alongside Embiid and Simmons.
Or to put it another way — both Brown and Butler are on thin ice … a to a certain degree.
Give this one a month, and then reassess.
Until then, see if the complaining stops and some chemistry starts setting in. That would be best for everybody.
