Perhaps no better example of the leadership he contributed to a long-languishing franchise trying to find its way came during a three-day stretch in mid-December.
With Butler playing through back spasms, the Timberwolves lost at home to a Phoenix Suns team that ultimately finished with the NBA’s worst record. Afterward, Butler was flat on the floor in the locker room, in enough discomfort that moving around was a difficult proposition.
Two nights later, Butler powered past the pain to score 37 points and carry the Wolves to victory over the Portland Trail Blazers , who finished third in the Western Conference this season.
”If you go out there and show them how hard you have to play in this league until the end on a constant basis,” Butler said then, cajoling his young teammates, ”that’s when they follow suit.”
In case there was any lingering mystery about the 28-year-old Butler’s value to these Wolves, his absence while recovering from a meniscus injury in his right knee quelled them for good. They went 8-9 while he was out, nearly squandering their spot in the playoffs until reeling off three straight wins upon Butler’s return to end an NBA-most 14-year stretch of missing the postseason. Factoring in the six games he missed earlier to an illness and a sore knee, the Wolves were 10-13 without him.
”He’s changed everything for us Josh Allen Jersey Elite ,” said coach Tom Thibodeau, without a hint of hyperbole.
Butler pitched in 31 points on Wednesday in the win-and-get-in, lose-and-go-home game against the Denver Nuggets that gave the Wolves a taste of the playoffs. He played 42 minutes.
”He’s an animal,” fellow All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns said. ”I don’t think anyone has ever thought anything else of him. He’s a cyborg from another place, built in the lab, and we’re very glad that we’ve got him.”
Thibodeau, who has full control of the roster as president of basketball operations, was fixated last summer on reuniting with Butler from their time together with the Chicago Bulls. Not only were the Wolves in the market for another scorer around their cornerstone Towns and young wingman Andrew Wiggins, they needed a lock-down defender who could take on the opponent’s best player with unwavering confidence. Plus, his mental toughness was a critical component in the overall attitude adjustment of a team transitioning from low-pressure losing seasons to heightened expectations under the no-nonsense Thibodeau.
”I wanted to go to a contender. I wanted to go somewhere where I was familiar with the coach, and being here was the perfect situation,” Butler said this week. ”We have a young team. I don’t believe they know how good they are. I believe the city doesn’t know how good the team is. We can bring that excitement Thomas Rawls Jersey Elite , not only to the team, but to the city.”
Butler ranked fourth in the NBA this season with a 6.06 real plus-minus rating. That advanced statistic attempts to assess a player’s on-court impact on team performance as measured by net point differential per 100 offensive and defensive possessions, while also factoring in teammates, opponents and other variables. The only players ahead of him were Chris Paul, Steph Curry and James Harden.
As the Wolves approach the daunting assignment of a first-round matchup with Paul, Harden and the league-leading Houston Rockets, the intangible contribution Butler can make to the cause is as valuable as any. His experience in the playoffs, with 38 career games, and his tenacity on the court provide the kind of comfort food a team can rely on against an opponent that beat the Wolves handily in all four matchups in the regular season.
This leadership comes from others, too, with the summer additions of Taj Gibson, Jeff Teague and Jamal Crawford Authentic Fred Warner Jersey , and the recent signing of Derrick Rose coming in handy when Game 1 tips off in Houston on Sunday night.
”You have to believe in your teammates. That’s why it’s good to have a coach like Thibs who comes in and gives you a strong talk, because he understands the reality of the game and the ups and downs of how the game goes,” Gibson said after practice Friday, before the team boarded a flight for Houston. ”You’ve just got to go out there and fight.”
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Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Ross Stripling is scheduled to make his second major league appearance against the Los Angeles Angels when they meet in the middle game of their three-game interleague series at Angel Stadium on Saturday evening.
He last faced the Angels just over two years ago in his first season with the Dodgers. That game likely stands out to Stripling because it’s the only time he hit a batter in 257 2/3 innings in the majors.
That miscue forced in a run and ended the night after 4 2/3 innings for Stripling, who had walked two other batters in the inning. The bullpen then gave up the lead with the inherited runners and Stripling took the loss in the 7-4 defeat at Angel Stadium.
Stripling (6-2, 2.27 ERA) has not only avoided hitting another batter since then, but has mastered his overall control, entering Saturday with 96 strikeouts and just 13 walks this season. His ERA is seventh best in the majors among pitchers with at least 12 starts.
Not bad for a pitcher whose first 10 appearances this season came out of the bullpen, where he’s 0-0 with a 0.59 ERA this season.
Stripling will try to get the Dodgers (47-40) back atop the NL West after Kenley Jansen blew a save in the series opener on Friday night and the Angels won 3-2. The Dodgers had taken over first place for the first time this season while idle on Thursday, but the Arizona Diamondbacks moved back into first with the Dodgers’ loss to the Angels (45-44).
Angels rookie David Fletcher continues to cement himself as a major leaguer. He drove in the tying run with a two-out pinch-hit single off Jansen, then scored the winning run from first on a check-swing single by Ian Kinsler, followed by a throwing error by Dodgers right-fielder Yasiel Puig.
“If I can help the team win James Paxton Seattle Mariners Jersey , it’s a big deal,” Fletcher told FOX Sports West after the win.
Stripling knows he needs to be sharper on Saturday than he was in his last outing, when he allowed four runs and a season-high nine hits in six innings of a 6-4 victory against the visiting Colorado Rockies on Sunday.
Stripling told the Southern California News Group following the game that he didn’t believe he was getting fatigued. Stripling has thrown 83 1/3 innings this season, more than the 77 1/3 he logged last season, but less than the 104 1/3 he accumulated during the 2016 season.
“They’ve seen me throw 80 innings now this year,” he said. “I think they’ve got an idea what’s coming. I’ve just got to stay sharp.”
Angels center fielder Mike Trout faced Stripling twice on May 17, 2016, and had a solo homer and a two-run single.
Deck McGuire (0-1, 7.56) is scheduled to make his fourth appearance with the Angels after he was acquired from the Texas Rangers for cash considerations on June 19. Texas had claimed the 28-year-old McGuire from the Toronto Blue Jays a few days earlier.
He made two relief appearances for the Angels before making his first start on Sunday and allowed five runs and five hits in 3 1/3 innings of an 8-2 loss against the Baltimore Orioles.
McGuire was sent down to Triple-A Salt Lake following that game, but was recalled on Wednesday, the day Tyler Skaggs was scratched from his scheduled start on Thursday against the Seattle Mariners because of a strained abductor.
McGuire has never faced the Dodgers in his career.
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