The last key element these executives seemed to focus on was the ability for said player to be the spokesperson for the team and media-friendly. Jimmy Butler is all of that and should be that for this Miami Heat team as well. Although seemingly quiet or soft-spoken at times, we have come to learn that looks can indeed be deceiving and that this doesn’t mean that he holds back or holds his tongue.
Although accompanied in the above video by Philadelphia big man Joel Embiid and his antics, Butler got the job done. He answered the questions in an elegant and informative manner while having a friendly smile on his face the entire time. I don’t think the Miami Heat have to worry about most of the issues described in the Bucher piece, especially what he considers the biggest issue.
"The biggest issue is what signing a player to a max contract implies—that he’s among the two dozen best players in the league—and what happens when a player fails to live up to that implication. Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Andrew Wiggins, John Wall and Kevin Love are just a few of the names feeling the weight of that dichotomy. “Everyone is expecting creme brulee,” the VP of player personnel says, “and then everyone is pissed when you wind up with mac and cheese.”"
The Miami Heat may not be getting “creme brulee”, but they aren’t getting “mac and cheese” either. What they are getting is a blue-collar guy with white-collar credentials and skills, a steak and potato dinner from a 5-star restaurant. That’s why I believe he wasn’t mentioned in Bucher’s piece.