Jimmy Butler on Critics: 'Motherf--kers Act' Like I'm Not a Good Player

When the Miami Heat signed Jimmy Butler over the summer, many credited Pat Riley for adding a star amid the team's cap restraints, but few thought it was a move capable of making them a viable contender.

Butler apparently took issue with the reaction.

He told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports:

"Motherf--kers act like I'm not a good basketball player. Like for real. Just think about that. Like I can't come in and make a huge difference. I'm not going to say 'carry a team' because nobody can do it by themselves and I mean that. I'm not putting it all on myself, but I know what I'm capable of. I know what I bring to any and all situations, and the group of guys that we have is the group of guys that I want to play with.

"When I look down the line and as we're talking about it as an organization on this roster, I know what these guys are capable of. These guys are built like me. We're one in the same and so they're only going to get better and they're not going to get complacent. This is me. I see myself in every one of these guys around this locker room."

The Heat agreed to a four-year, $142 million contract as part of a sign-and-trade to Miami that sent Josh Richardson to the Philadelphia 76ers. The deal has worked out for both parties thus far, as the Sixers used their cap savings on a potential max Butler contract to sign Al Horford. They are the NBA's lone remaining unbeaten.

Butler is averaging 14.7 points, 7.3 assists and 7.0 rebounds while helping lead the Heat to a surprising 5-1 start. While he acknowledged there was some sort of falling-out with the Sixers that led to his departure, he would not delve into the situation with Haynes:

"Just go with your gut. You're not dumb. All of that will come out whenever it's time. Right now is not the time. I'm locked in with this. I'm happy, man. I'm smiling and my guys want me to be here, my organization wants me to be here, I want to be here and we're going to ride this thing until the wheels fall off. I'm not saying Philly wasn't great, man. We had some really good players. I talk to Joel [Embiid] damn near every f--king day. It's a brotherhood, man. I love that guy. I'm going to always have his back and I know he'll always have mine."

Few people (if any) said Butler wasn't a good basketball player, but it's fair to say the Sixers are better with this version of their roster than they would be with Butler. The same is certainly true of the Heat, so this was a win-win divorce.