Jimmy Butler, who will be a free-agent next summer, is having a career year for the Chicago Bulls. Averaging over 20 points-a-game while playing nearly 40 minutes, Butler has been THE main component for a 15-and-9 Chicago Bulls. According to K.C. Johnson, even though Butler had come down with a sickness before Sunday’s game against the Miami Heat, he still wanted to play nearly the entire game.
“He’s old school,” Thibodeau said. “(Sunday) night before the (Heat) game, he wasn’t feeling well and he said, ‘Hey, don’t cut my minutes. I’m going to run that out of me.’ I respect that.
“The guy wants to win, plays hard on every play, goes after people, makes tough plays, almost came up with that huge steal at the end (against the Hawks). That’s Jimmy. Guy’s having an All-Star season.”
Butler refused a contract extension last summer of nearly $11 million per-year, but there’s no doubt that it would be in the Bulls’ best interest to do whatever it takes to lock him up long-term.
