I can't argue with anyone putting Butler in the top 10 for this season. I would probably have him in my top 15. Wade has definitely helped him take his game to another level.

Well...what else do you think we'd be talking about besides current Top 10?

You're correct in that Jimmy Butler would not be in my 2013-2014 Top 10 NBA Players.

He was also the 9th man on an Olympic team in which it seemed at least 15 guys declined to play.

LTG, I often want to defend you against the masses but then you choose the most ridiculous (and inconsistent) basis for comparison. In the past you were obsessed with starting. More recently you skewed data by comparing career numbers to a current player argument. Now it's ranking the Olympic team? Very weak.

Starting matters that's why. The better players overwhelmingly are your starting players.

In terms of the Josh Smith Taj argument Josh Smith was better at the time and that was even after he was waived. He had a much better year with Houston than Taj had with the Bulls. Also helped Houston win a playoff series at the time.

When it became obvious that he was still the better player the "masses" majestically became disinterested in furthering the debate. That Taj is better now matters not to me because I'm not really arguing that now. At the time I made the statement Josh Smith was the better. Careers matter too. Many GMs have made fools of themselves by doing snapshot evaluations of players.

As far as Olympic teams go that is relevant too. How can anyone make the argument that he is a top 5 guy if he is one the last guys to get in on a team missing a number of top NBA guys?

On what basis does anyone have to place in the top 10 other than homerism? Butler is a good player. He isn't a great player. Butler also has never been All NBA either but let's not let that fact get in the way of pro Chicago bias.

All NBA Defensive team the last 3 years

So is Deandre Jordan. Are you placing him in your top 10 also?

15. Chicago Bulls
2016-17 record: 21-21
Previous ranking: 16

Interesting video submission last week from our own Tom Haberstroh, who did the math and found that the Bulls have played (yikes) at the level of a 10-72 team when Jimmy Butler is off the floor. Haberstroh's research only reinforces how good we feel about referring to Butler as a must-choice as an East starter for players and media members before All-Star balloting closes Monday night. Dwyane Wade, meanwhile, celebrated his 35th birthday early by scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter to seal a win over New Orleans and ease the sting of that 18-point lead squandered just days earlier in a loss at Washington. The outburst accounted for D-Wade's best quarter since a 19-point effort for Miami nearly two years ago (March 29, 2015).

Jimmy Butler All Mutha fuckin Star

Anyone know who has those most game winning shots?

Yaz

... One of the main reasons I'm here is Jimmy. He's the one who called me and got me to come here. So that's a big part of my decision and everything else, is what Jimmy's doing, what his future looks like and all that. And I've made it very clear. So I have no idea from that standpoint. You just have to wait and see and then see what works out."

Game recognize game.

I will never understand how you would want Gar and Pax to do anything for this organization except leave it.

They are failed executives.

I want them to leave but not before they trade Butler. Seriously though they have to go. I'm not sold on Paxson as the guy to orchestrate the rebuild.

I'm actually not against keeping Butler if he can accept a No.2 or No.3 role. I don't think he can though. That is why I think they should move him.

:lol: @ Butler being called a #3. Yeah, I guess if your team is even more stacked than Golden States that could happen.

He'd be a #3 on the Clippers and Cleveland too. Possibly San Antonio also.

This is wrong. Golden State is the only team in the league that qualifies.

No it isn't. He isn't better than Kyrie Irving. Nor is he better than Blake Griffin.

Jimmy Butler has never made an All NBA team.

He's better than both those guys and will finish higher in MVP voting and higher on the All NBA teams than they will

I don't care what the Bulls front office would do. They also traded Tyrus Thomas for Aldridge straight up. They also benched one of their big FA signings a month into the season and seem hell bent on trading their best player for scraps, drawing ire from their other big FA signing. It's pretty clear they don't have a clue what the fuck they are currently doing, and I've historically defended Paxson on this board.

We can bump this in April to see who's right about the NBA thing, barring major injury to either player. I'm pretty confident.