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Luka Doncic might never live down what Steph Curry did to him last night. Curry broke Doncic’s ankles and sent him sprawling to the ground before draining a three-pointer during the Golden State Warriors’ 112-95 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Plenty of people have trolled Dončić about this. But an Instagram post Jimmy Butler made on Saturday takes the cake. Butler posted an AI video where Curry’s likeness is Bruce Leroy (played by Taimak) in the 1985 martial arts film The Last Dragon. Curry is then asked, “Alright Leroy, who’s the one-and-only Master?” and responds, “I am!”
Anthony Slater on Kristaps Porzingis: 'He played 15 of the last 20 games last year that had them like decently confident enough that they can maybe maintain his health to provide every other game type support for them this season. He was around the team in the week leading up to training camp. He went to this event with Jimmy Butler in San Diego, but if you talk to the players and people at that event, he wasn't getting on the court, he wasn't in the weight room. He would show up to kind of more of the dinners and the fun stuff, but it seemed clear right before camp that he was fading away from basketball, obviously dealing with his health issue and thinking about his future.'
Despite the built-in flexibility, that wasn't the idealized intent of the contract. Porzingis played in 15 of the team's final 20 games last season and Warriors' management believed he had an encouraging enough summer to pencil Porzingis in as the projected starting center next to Draymond Green and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg in the frontcourt. Porzingis was in the team's San Francisco facility and on the court in the week leading up to training camp and attended Jimmy Butler's player-led event in San Diego in late September, though team sources described a detached Porzingis as indifferent and uninterested in participating in scrimmages and strenuous on-court prep work at the event.
The rest of the season was a slow nightmare. Curry was sidelined for two months to tend to a persistent knee issue. They traded for Kristaps Porzingis, who was in and out of the lineup. They went 12-26 after the Jimmy Butler injury, fading to the background in a season that opened with quiet title belief. "I really felt like I let Steph down," Butler said. "I let Draymond down. I let Steve down. Because they took a chance. If you don't know me and you haven't been around me, you don't know what I'm about because of the things that you may read and hear. But they said, 'F--- all of that s---. This motherf---er knows how to win.' They took a chance, and I felt I let them down."
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Jimmy Butler on his former teammate Bam Adebayo scoring 83 points: “Good for him. 83 is a lot of points, and he is a crazy, talented player. He can do everything incredibly well. But it’s always a team effort. Nobody just gets scored 83 on. It’s a team thing, you know, you’re sending double teams. (And a ref thing?) Could be. Double teams, triple teams, whatever. The whole, whatever you call it, shebang, the whole team, the whole book, whatever. And he made shots, a lot of them. So good for him. 83 is historic.”
Jimmy Butler on how he’s feeling and what’s a realistic target date for his return: “I’m feeling great. Surgery went well. We’ve been obviously doing this rehab thing, going through that process. But all in all, I’m back moving on the floor, some running, jogging, doing all of that, the beginning steps of all that. As far as a target date goes, I wouldn’t want to be a liar, so I don’t tell anybody a target date. But as soon as I can take the floor, I promise you I’m getting back out there and competing.”
The Warriors didn't show an appetite to offer Butler for Anthony Davis or Jaylen Brown this summer, considering the pick packages required and contracts attached to both. All other Butler-plus-picks conversations -- for what the Warriors believe are ultimately lesser players once Butler returns -- were shut down, team sources said.
Butler's injury occurred more than two weeks before the trade deadline. To acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Warriors would've needed to trade either Butler's or Draymond Green's contract, had the Milwaukee Bucks desired Golden State's pick package, which included its four available first-rounders. But the Bucks balked, and Butler has never been offered in other potential trades, team sources said.
But almost every bigger-picture conversation with those in the organization almost immediately shifts to Butler, who just turned 37, and the perhaps unfair burden he might face to rescue their hopes in his first few months back from ACL rehab. "I'm almost looking at this like this could be the exact opposite of last season," Kerr said. "We get Jimmy back around February instead of losing him in February. So, what's our job? Lay the best foundation, best platform for success before that, that can put us in a good position where we've got momentum, and all of a sudden, we're adding him with the playoffs coming a couple months later. I think the plan is there."
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CURRY WAS AMONG a large contingent within the Warriors initially skeptical of acquiring Butler after his elongated final chapter in Miami played out like a soap opera. They had discussed Zach LaVine as an alternative option, team sources said. Curry was also fond of Andrew Wiggins, a beloved teammate who helped push Curry to that legacy-cementing fourth title in 2022 but would need to be moved to make a deal work. So Curry, while informed, stayed mostly out of front office business, as he prefers.
Dunleavy was confident that Butler would appreciate Kerr, Curry, the winning atmosphere and the relaxed climate both have cultivated. Dunleavy figured Butler would vibe with Green off the court and click on the defensive end. Dunleavy assumed that Butler's toughness, approach and superior ability would win over everyone.
Joseph Dycus: During today's Warriors press conference, Steve Kerr mentioned February as when Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody will be back. He later clarified: "No idea. I’m just throwing February out there because that’s about a year post-injury. So it’ll be somewhere around that time."
Nick Friedell: Jimmy Butler has become Malevy Leons biggest fan. Jimmy jumps off the bench and celebrates every time Leons does anything good,. He's been pumping him up all week during camp.
