Jimmy Butler is on the phone with yet another reporter. The All-Star swingman spent his morning at a Chicago high school posing for photos with Tony the Tiger as students ate Kellogg's cereal, and the series of interviews afterward is part of the deal. His voice rises in volume when asked which question he's heard the most.
"Take a wild guess," Butler says. "No, seriously, take a guess. What do you think people always want to ask me?"
Right now, people want to know about the left elbow injury that will keep him out of the Chicago Bulls lineup for the next three to six weeks. Right?
"That'd be one," he says. "And the second-most is, 'Hey, you know your contract is almost up, what do you think?' That's the second one.' "
Oh, that old story. Three-quarters of the way through the season, the topic must be tiresome.
"Very sick of it," Butler says. "Because I'm not even worried about a contract extension or money right now. I want to win. That's my thing."
Butler needn't be concerned about anything other than getting healthy and getting wins — he'll surely get a max offer sheet in the summer, and the Bulls would be crazy not to match it. He's averaging 20.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while remaining one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.
It's been a breakout year for Butler, but a bumpier ride than expected for the Bulls. They've dealt with injury after injury and no longer have a top-10 defense, though at 38-23 they're still tied for second in the East. If there's one thing Butler makes clear -- aside from that he's passionate about fighting childhood hunger and he enjoyed his time with the kids in the Give a Child Breakfast program -- it's that he is remaining optimistic.
"Everybody knows that injuries happen," Butler says. "Everybody knows you go on streaks in this league, you lose some games, it's part of it. Unless you're the Bulls from the 90s that went 72-10, you're going to lose a few games. Players are going to get hurt. But it's just all how you deal with it."
What follows is the conversation, lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
What was your Tuesday like, watching your team and being unable to contribute?
It's hard. But at the same time, I'm happy they did what they did. Guys are getting comfortable. Doug [McDermott] needs those minutes under his belt. Tony [Snell] is getting more and more confident every game. I'm very excited for them and I'm happy that they're getting this opportunity to showcase their skills because they're really talented.
You feel like you've shown what kind of team you can be?
Yeah. ‘Cause we've beaten them all. I think we've shown how deep of a team we are, how we can win when we're fully healthy and how we can win when we're down a few guys.
Earlier this season you had a great quote on the chances of winning a title: "Hell yeah, it's a championship team. We're going to win that shit" —
I didn't say S-H-I-T. I said the MF word.
The story said "expletive," so I was just guessing. Anyway, you still feel the same way?
I do feel the same way. But nobody in this league plays this game to lose. So I'm sure a lot of people feel the exact same way I do. But I like our chances. I like our group of guys. I like the way that we play. So I still think we're going to win that … thing.
You insisted earlier this season that you're still a role player, but now that you've played in an All-Star Game are you more comfortable getting extra attention?
I don't like the word "comfortable" because when you're comfortable you're complacent, and when you're complacent you stop working on your game, you stop wanting to be great. So I like to say I am waiting. That's what I'm doing. So I'm not comfortable, I'm just going to continue to work on my game and wait for when my name is called in whatever situation.
What was it like to be in New York with all those other stars you're used to playing against?
It's weird. But it's very humbling. Knowing that everybody knows your name, you're up there with the biggest names in the NBA and it's kind of like you're one of them. You know, it was a hell of an experience, don't get me wrong, and I learned a lot, but I'm glad to be back and competing against those guys.
You still don't want to say you are one of the stars because of what you said about getting complacent?
Yeah. But I'm not saying that those guys are complacent. They work extremely hard, too. But whenever you do get complacent, that's when people pass you. I got a lot of respect for those guys and how they've perfected their craft. And I'm just glad to be able to go up against them in a Chicago Bulls uniform.
Scottie Pippen said he sees your career as being very similar to his because you were both doubted and had to work for everything. What's it like to hear that, and have you had the chance to pick his brain in Chicago?
It means a lot coming from a guy like Scottie because you see what he's done for this league, this city, this community. A Hall of Famer, all of that. As far as picking his brain, I ask Scottie a lot of questions and he's always honest. Brutally honest, however you want to put it. He's never lied to me a day and he's always told me how good I can be and how much potential that he sees. I have a lot of respect for him and I thank him all the time for that.
Can it sometimes blow your mind to be able to talk to a guy like that about the game?
It does. At the same time I think it helps more than anything because he knows what it takes to win. He's been doing it for so long. He has so many championships. More than just a basketball player, he knows how to be a leader. He knows what it takes to take care of your body, what you have to do, what you can't do. Those are the things that can help more than the whole just scoring baskets aspect of it. The guy has been in my corner since Day 1.
Speaking of people who have been there since Day 1, what kind of impact has Derrick Rose made on you?
Derrick is one of the better people that I've come to know because, if you look at what he does in this community — and I'm not even talking about the basketball aspect of it, we all know how great of a basketball player he is, but what he does for the city of Chicago, the passion that he has for kids — I think that is what really shows you who he is. You see him on the billboards and on the commercials, but you take that away from him, he's still a person like everybody else on our roster. And that's what I get from him the most, how much he cares about people other than himself, man. What else can you want in a point guard? I call him my brother. What else can you want in a brother?
You ever want to defend him when he's questioned or criticized?
Yeah. All the time. But he tells me not even to worry about it. And I don't want to get into detail, so I just don't. I just let it be what it is.
Who's your best friend on the team?
I don't know if I have a best friend. Me and Aaron [Brooks] have been spending a lot of time with each other lately. And it's because he's my point guard now so I gotta get to know him a little better. And his daughters are like three of my biggest fans. So I get to FaceTime them, it really puts a smile on my face.
Does talking to his daughters, and even doing an event like you did today, put things in perspective for you in terms of how much you've overcome and how much you've accomplished already?
It does. And the reason I say that is because I know that if I was young and an NBA player came in to my school and was telling me how important breakfast was, I'd probably get up and go grab a bowl of Frosted Flakes right then and there. And probably would listen to him. Just because what he's talking about, he's saying because he knows. He's not going to come in there and waste his time, he really is there for a reason and he knows what he's talking about.
What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of the way that kids look at me. Basketball player, graduated from college, yeah, all of that stuff's great. But when you look at a way a kid really looks into your eyes and you can tell that they're listening and they're taking in everything you say, that's what really gets me. I'm making a difference and it's outside of basketball.
