The Heat said Friday that Jimmy Butler will remain in Miami for the final two games of their road trip...the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday and...the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
The team is citing competition reconditioning as the reason for Butler's absence, the same explanation for why he missed its win over the Orlando Magic on Thursday.
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Butler twisted an ankle in Miami's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last Friday. He missed the remainder of that game and the next two Heat games -- at the Magic on Saturday and against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday -- but with illness, not the ankle, cited as the reason.
First ankle, then illness for OKC game a week ago. Then "stomach illness" for Orlando Dec. 21 (didn't even travel with team) and Rust at home, Dec. 23; then "competition reconditioning" for Orlando Dec. 26. Query: how much reconditioning does a professional athlete need after said reconditioning already kept him out of one game? Apparently three games reconditioning is what the doctor, undoubtedly Dr. James Butler, ordered.
This is the truth: Jimmy is tilted and has become a distraction to the other players and the coaches. That's what Pat Riley wrote in his statement just yesterday. You don't miss five consecutive games with an ankle tweak, an upset tummy and the need for "competition reconditioning."
