Self-awareness (noun) – Conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires.

The opposite of self-awareness:

Jimmy Butler has been holding an entire organization hostage for the past three months.  

He has trashed Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins publicly and privately for the better part of a year.  

His first time even showing up to practice prior to the current season was essentially a publicity stunt to gain leverage in pressuring a trade out of Minnesota.  He showed up and did his whole yell at everybody “I want to win more than you want to win” bullshit.

He then sprinted right over to Rachel Nichols feet. Essentially bringing a transcript of how the practice went, he started bloviating about HOW REAL he is and how much he cares in his grandest attempt to that point to force a trade.  

Since the season began, Butler has decided not to play in multiple games just because he didn’t want to (read: force a trade).  

The dude played MULTIPLE freaking possessions jiggling his junk during play–full hands down his own pants.  Look at this “look what I’m willing to do to show you how little I care about this team” statement:

And just prior to being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, he stated that he was planning to sit out for the foreseeable future for no other reason other than–you guess it–to force a trade away from the Timberwolves and his teammates.

Look, this “all I care about is winning” narrative Butler pushes about himself…maybe it really is the key to his success. Perhaps all of these people he’s tossed under the bus, the toxicity he’s brought to the Timberwolves and the end of his Bull’s run, is really an unintentional fallout of Jimmy Butler truly wanting to WIN more than anyone else he is associated with.  A maniacal drive to win that fuels him to be a top-15 player in the league at his best.

But James… Can I call you James?

No? Well, James, don’t you sit up there with your smug, satisfied little smirk, and tell me you are a good teammate.  Don’t you dare pretend that because no one has said you are a piece of shit to your face that people don’t think you are a shitty teammate.

You don’t orchestrate a months-long, systematic onslaught against an organization and it’s players, then look into the camera and tell everyone that you are a guy that people love having on their side.  

This should not have to be said, but as we’ve already noted, Jimmy Butler is not one for self-awareness.  

Get bent James.