ASK IRA: Is Miami Heat’s problem more than a Jimmy Butler problem?

Q: This is just a bad team.

Cant blame Jimmy Butler for that.

Diamond.

A: Hard to disagree after what we saw Friday night against the Nuggets , and then even before that against the Clippers and Nuggets.

So you can continue to fight the fight against Jimmy Butler (and the battle of egos is real) or you can turn to other aspects to make things better.

With a 20-20 record, the last thing you need is a player who doesnt want to be there.

And there are deals out there, real deals, just perhaps not the optimal deals the Heat seek.

But as long as salary isnt taken on beyond 2025-26, and as long as draft capital can be stocked, then move on.

Mediocre with Jimmy Butler; mediocre without.

The NBA is a difficult place to win with an elephant in the room.

And Jimmy Butler clearly isnt the best presence for a coach who doesnt want storylines .

Related Articles Q: Miami ran into a well=oiled machine Friday night.

When healthy, Denver is as good as any team in the West and they were healthy and gearing up for the second half of the season.

Miami on the other hand looks like a team not really sure where they sit as a team.

Douglas.

A: With this game confirmation that save for the rare night (the home victory over Cleveland, for example), this Heat roster is simply not up to the challenge against anything elite, as was apparent on Monday night against the Clippers and again on Friday night against the Nuggets.

So, yes, there will be winnable games along the way, perhaps Tuesday against the Trail Blazers and then next weekend in Brooklyn.

But this has to be about more than a game of wills with Jimmy Butler.

This has to be setting up the roster for something better.

Because at the moment, Butler or no Butler, something different is needed.

Q: Ira, do you know if the extra perks that have been afforded Butler during his time with Miami (hiring his trainer, allowing him to fly separately and stay in separate accommodations, etc.) are written into his current contract? Or are those things that the Heat brass simply chooses not to make an issue of? I ask because, could those kinds of things be revoked? Its one thing to afford such extras to a top-tier player who is bought in and giving his all, but hes none of those things anymore.

Adam Raleigh, N.C.

A: Jimmy Butler, like many elite players, has traveled his own trainer from team to team, just as LeBron James did when he passed through Miami.

Jimmy Butler has had his own accommodations on the road, as have many elite players, who otherwise have to deal with mobs when simply moving in and out of hotels.

Jimmy Butler has his own transportation to arenas, as do many elite players who have specific workout and training regimens.

And when life gets in the way, Jimmy Butler has the ability to arrange his own air travel.

These all were accepted parts of a working agreement with the Heat as he helped lead the team to three Eastern Conference finals in his five seasons.

And no one took issue until the contract negotiations went sideways and the won-low record went south.

The bottom line is Jimmy Butler for years has received superstar treatment.

And for years, he provided superstar results.

And now there is now.

But this is about way more than Jimmy Butler taking an SUV to games instead of a team bus..

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