By now, the drama surrounding Jimmy Butler’s departure from the Philadelphia 76ers is well-known. There is a school of thought that he just wanted to leave on his own, but there is also the school of thought that he and former coach Brett Brown did not get along.
Butler basically confirmed that second thought when he joined JJ Redick on his podcast to discuss what really happened during his time with the Sixers and specifically his relationship with Brown.
Now with the Miami Heat, Butler has his team up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals while the Sixers were swept in Round 1 and Brown has since been fired. This caused fans to ask the question again, why did Butler leave the Sixers in the first place? He could still be in Philadelphia helping them go deep into the playoffs.
According to a report by The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, he confirmed that Brown did not want Butler here anymore and that Ben Simmons played a role as well.
Pompey reports:
Brown didn’t want to coach Jimmy any longer. There are always two sides of the story. Butler’s camp continues to say that it was his decision to leave, and that there was an offer on the table. We can debate that for months. But I’m here to tell you that Brown wanted no part of coaching Butler again. He went as far as calling certain players to voice his concern and to get them on his side. Some in Ben Simmons’ camp also didn’t want Butler back. Neither did a lot of the coaches.
Clearly, Butler is not for everybody. His leadership style can rub some people the wrong way and that is what it looks like happened in Philadelphia. Butler and Brown butted heads and Butler also got under Simmons’ skin. It is unfortunate for the Sixers as a whole as they could definitely use a guy like him right now, but they can’t do anything about it now except move forward. [lawrence-related id=37732,37727,37723]