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The Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler has missed 10 of the last 11 games with a bruised tailbone, a tough blow for the team since numerous other members of their starting lineup are also out injured.
The five-time All-Star initially injured his coccyx on November 27 during the Heat’s game against the Chicago Bulls. While clearly in pain, Butler was able to finish out the game, scoring 18 points, four rebounds, five assists, and five steals.
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After missing four games, the 32-year-old attempted to return to action against the Memphis Grizzlies on December 6 but ended up reaggravating his injury just minutes into the first quarter, awkwardly falling after coming into contact with Jaren Jackson Jr.’s hip.
On December 20, NBA analyst Stan Van Gundy, who served as head coach of the Miami Heat between 2003 and 2005, was tweeted about the injury-prone Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis and compared him to Butler.
“Anthony Davis has missed 49 games for the Lakers over the past 3 seasons,” Van Gundy tweeted. “Jimmy Butler has missed 48 games for the Heat in the same time frame,” a comparison which set off Butler’s longtime agent, Bernie Lee.
“How did we get dragged into this?!??” Lee tweeted. “DONT YOU PUT THAT EVIL ON ME STAN VAN BOBBY… DONT YOU PUT THAT ON US…”
Numerous People Shared a Very Similar Outraged Response to Van Gundy’s Tweet
In the 18 games Butler has appeared in thus far this season, he’s averaged 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. While the former first-round pick out of Marquette has missed a lot of games due to injuries or COVID-19, when he’s on the court, Butler is playing his heart out.
Like Lee, numerous people were offended that Van Gundy would compare Butler to Davis. One Heat fan tweeted, “Some of that time Jimmy missed was due to Covid, not injury. He also plays extremely hard every second he’s on the court and doesn’t complain. Jimmy can also motivate his teammates when he’s not on the floor. Don’t make this comparison. You’re better than this.”
Then there’s the argument of age and performance. “I mean Jimmy is 32 years old with more miles on his legs as a pro than AD who is 28,” one person tweeted. “I’d say it’s a bad thing AD in his prime is struggling this hard to be more available than Jimmy Butler. Jimmy was running 39 minutes per game for like 3 szns as a chicago bull lol.”
Other Twitter users believed comparing Butler and Davis is silly because of the players’ respective expectations in general. One person tweeted, “one is the 30th pick jimmy butler not picked to be a franchise changing player. one is 1st round (1st pick, 1st overall) anthony davis is supposed to be a franchise player….come on Stan.”
The NBA Skipped Over Naming Butler as an All-Star Due to Amount of Games Missed, But Not Davis
Butler, arguably one of the best two-way players in the NBA, has been kept from getting league recognition because of the time he’s missed due to injuries. However, Davis, who was recently honored as one of the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History and named an All-Star eight times, seems to be held to a different standard.
The Kentucky alum, who only played a total of 36 games during the 2020-21 NBA season., has never played a full season since joining the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick in 2012.
The Lakers’ power forward suffered an MCL sprain in his left knee on December 17 and is expected to miss at least four weeks, per the Associated Press.
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