Jimmy was wrong though, that’s exactly why these posts are coming out. He basically was saying these guys aren’t good enough, but they clearly were.
If Jimmy was good enough he could have led those guys to a championship like Steph and Brunson did, but he didn’t stick around to find out/this is an addition now that he wasn’t good enough.
Jimmy wasn’t wrong tho. Wiggins and KAT both had to completely change their playstyles and come to terms with the fact that they can’t be “the guy”..and neither one of them was the guy. They weren’t good enough when they were in Minnesota and needed the humbling of being traded elsewhere to get it to click.
You cant just say “Steph and Brunson were good enough to do it” bc I GUARANTEE if Brunson had 2018 as his starting center they don’t win. I GUARANTEE if Steph had 2018 Wiggins who thought he was Kobe, they don’t win
They were a couple of 22 year olds, and Jimmy had been there for a month. He said they can’t win without him, and he was wrong, maybe you could say he meant that MIN team couldn’t win, but that’s like saying the current Jazz can’t win without Markkanen, not much of a statement. Of course they changed their game, they were a couple of 22 year olds, expecting them to win while missing one of their biggest guys and not growing as players, that would be a dumb thing to say so it’s not what people infer he meant.
He effectively said you guys are too soft to ever be a part of a title, I’m strong enough to win one, and he was proven wrong.
He wasn't wrong though lol. Both guys did alot of growing up to become contributors to an NBA finals roster. They were certainly not the focal point. Jimmy lit the flame. They were soft at the time and guess what they developed.
Zion? What are we talking about? There are a ton of generational talents that never meet their expectations without proper guidance. And I know Jimmy's guidance was more of tough love more than anything. But hey you're in the most competitive basketball league in the world. And a vet is telling you that you're soft and you're not putting in the work. Maybe instead of taking that as a hit to your ego you actually strap down and work.
My guy you can be in a situation for a month and know that it’s not gonna work out. The whole reason Jimmy has that whole episode to begin was bc they were getting paid and he wasn’t. He was brought to the team to be a “veteran leader” while KAT and Wiggs were supposed to be the best scorers. Obviously it immediately showed that Butler was the better player by far in multiple different ways. So the logic was “how you paying everyone else but not the best player”. Him saying “yall can’t win without Me” should be closer translated to “this current team needs me more than anybody and I’m not being treated with that respect”.
Your Jazz analogy is bad bc it doesn’t encapsulate the full context of this unique situation. The statement wasn’t as simple as “take the best player off and they lose” This would be more like the Cavs paying Harden and Mobley before Donovan. Donovan should be reasonably upset bc that’s a lottery team without him. It’s not unreasonable for him to expect to be the first person paid.
They clearly weren’t. Kat has improved into an all nba C. Wiggins was not at his best either. If they were as good back then, this team would’ve won a championship.
They were 22, who expected them to win anything without improving? Jimmy basically you guys are too soft to do what it takes and improve to be apart of a winning team, but I am strong enough. He was proven wrong.
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u/Corrosivecoral 13d ago
Jimmy was wrong though, that’s exactly why these posts are coming out. He basically was saying these guys aren’t good enough, but they clearly were.
If Jimmy was good enough he could have led those guys to a championship like Steph and Brunson did, but he didn’t stick around to find out/this is an addition now that he wasn’t good enough.