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Miami Heat icon Tim Hardaway Sr. is backing his former team amid its ongoing drama with star player Jimmy Butler.
The Heat suspended Butler last week for seven games due to what they called “conduct detrimental to the team.” Miami did not release details on what sort of conduct from Butler led to such a lengthy suspension.
Hardaway Sr. appeared on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Saturday and revealed what he knows about Butler’s behavior behind the scenes. Hardaway told hosts Justin Termine and Eddie Johnson that Butler had missed a December game against the Orlando Magic for a questionable reason.
“[Jimmy Butler] let those guys down by not playing in Orlando and then out kicking it somewhere. People were calling me saying, ‘Man, he’s not even playing in Orlando. He’s at Prime 112 kicking it and eating and hanging out with folks.”
“[Jimmy Butler] let those guys down by not playing in Orlando, & then out kicking it somewhere. People were calling me saying ‘Man he not even playing in Orlando. He at Prime 112 kicking it and eating and hanging out with folks” – Tim Hardaway Sr. on @SiriusXMNBA
(h/t @ClayWPLG) https://t.co/kpjG2gOc94 pic.twitter.com/obNKM0DSrd
— Dru (@dru_star) January 11, 2025
Butler missed the Dec. 26 contest against the Magic due to what the Heat listed as a “stomach bug.” But according to Hardaway, Butler’s stomach was doing well enough for the Heat forward to enjoy an evening with friends at Prime 112, a boutique steakhouse in Miami, Fla.
Despite Butler’s absence, the Heat managed to beat an undermanned Magic squad 89-88. Tyler Herro picked up the slack with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting.
While Butler has formally requested a trade from the Heat, it remains to be seen if Pat Riley actually pushes through with it midseason. If Miami does decide to trade its longtime star, one Western Conference team is seen as the favorite to land Butler.
More must-reads:
- Breaking down Jimmy Butler's trade value
- Jimmy Butler takes apparent shot at Heat in video
- The 'Miami Heat players to score 40 points in a game' quiz
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Veteran center listed as Knicks target for veteran’s minimum
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Dolphins prove how 'soft' they are amid reported cheap shots by Bears
The Miami Dolphins need to make an attitude adjustment after their joint practice with the Chicago Bears at Halas Hall on Friday. Per Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald, the Bears' defense came out aggressive at the practice and took multiple cheap shots at Dolphins offensive players like wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, running back De'Von Achane and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Kelly claimed the Bears' defense tackled Tagovailoa multiple times on Friday, which goes against how most joint practices are conducted, where quarterbacks are protected. Kelly thinks the Dolphins coaching staff didn't stick up for their offensive players because they were afraid they'd help perpetuate their stigma of being soft. "What you gonna do ... You gonna cry about it and say, 'Hey, you're hitting me too hard.' Like, what do you do?" Kelly said on an episode of "Dolphins in Depth" on Saturday. "But it was dirty. It was, without a doubt. Tua was hit multiple times, put on the ground multiple times practice ... What are you going to do when you know your team's reputation, you know the world, the league perceives you as soft, and here you go." Kelly didn't like how the offense responded to the Bears' bullying of the offense, accusing Miami of folding before practice ended. "Now what I didn't like is, as you know if you're a Dolphin(s) fan, they get punched in the mouth, they fold," Kelly said. "They got punched in the mouth, and you watch them fold during the 11 on 11 periods in practice." The Dolphins needed to respond with likewise energy against the Chicago defense. Miami's coaching staff should be concerned the offense didn't want to fight back after watching Tagovailoa suffer multiple hits at a joint practice. By not complaining about the cheap shots and instead deciding to fold, the Dolphins chose to continue adding to the list of evidence that head coach Mike McDaniel's teams are soft.
Green Bay Packers Veteran WR In Danger Of Being Cut After Poor Showing Against Jets
A veteran Green Bay Packers wide receiver didn’t leave a good impression on head coach Matt LaFleur’s coaching staff on Saturday when he took on his old team in front of 71,501 fans at Lambeau Field on Saturday night. Mecole Hardman, who has had flashes of being a strong contributor to the Packers during training camp, struggled in the Packers’ 30-10 loss to the New York Jets. The 2019 second-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs dropped his only target of the night and made a poor decision as a punt returner on special teams before muffing a punt on his second punt return opportunity. The Green Bay Packers coaching staff has a decision to make Matt Schneidman of The Athletic suggested that Hardman’s performance will prompt the Packers’ coaching staff to reevaluate the receiver depth chart. “Hardman, too, seemed penciled into the 53-man roster before Saturday night,” Schneidman wrote. “For a player who probably wasn’t slated to contribute much as a wide receiver come the regular season but still provided value because of his return experience, the preseason opener was a disaster. “Hardman fielded a punt on the fly at his 5-yard line (that’s a no-no) with a Jet and two Packers nearby and was tackled immediately for no gain by the Jets’ Qwan’tez Stiggers after he beat Packers rookie seventh-round cornerback Micah Robinson.” “I made two bad decisions, so that’s on me,” Hardman told reporters after the game. Hardman wasn’t the only Packers receiver to have issues against the Jets, as an issue from 2024, dropped passes, continued to plague the offense in their first preseason game of 2025. It’s an issue Hardman and the team will want to show improvement on when they play the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.
Cowboys exec has blunt message about Micah Parsons' trade request
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