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Can Jimmy Butler be the leader Minnesota needs?



The trade that sent Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves was by no comparison the biggest in the Minnesota Timberwolves short and sad history.
Losing 2x Slam Dunk champion, rising star and fan favourite Zach Lavine may have stung for most fans, and may continue to sting if Lavine reaches the lofty heights that Wolves fans expect from the UCLA product.

All this pain can be easily forgotten though when we cast our minds to the man received in the trade; Jimmy Butler. The basic and advanced statistics all work favourably for Jimmy G. Buckets, but what the Timberwolves are really looking for and really lacking is a veteran leader, one who can show the young core how it's done; on and off the court.

Timberwolves fans have seen a lot of their teams veterans over the last few years lack the on-court production, the off-court leadership is there but they were simply far past their prime or role players who couldn't help as much as needed on-court (39 Year Old Garnett, Tayshaun Prince, Brandon Rush, Cole Aldrich etc.)

This is where Jimmy Butler sits in a class that may only contain one other Wolves player; Kevin Garnett (The first time around) where the veteran leader of the team is also the most productive member on the court.

Butlers record off court is largely exceptional, a minor spat with the Bulls Front Office is the only blemish, and we all know how trying the Chicago Front Office can be (See Thibs' exit from the Franchise).

Growing up homeless and learning to mature at a very young age has seen Butler become a very level headed and reliable personality in the NBA landscape.

Showing this young, talented core how to grow in to polished players, but also polished people will go a long way in bringing winning basketball back to Minnesota.

Jimmy said this when talking to Twincities.com:
"We have got to take it seriously, I'm looking forward to it man, we're here in training camp, get this moving the right way. We're going to get everything moving on all cylinders"

A sure indication that Jimmy G. Buckets is ready to do more than just get buckets for Minnesota.

Article from Jake Paynting for The Howl In The Tree's
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