The reporter asked again, "If you play one more year, will you choose to stay with the Heat or go to another, more competitive team? The Knicks, perhaps? Or the Hornets, who have Wemby?"
"Or the Raptors. You know, even though the Raptors haven't been doing well these past few years, getting Wang Yi this year has greatly improved their strength. A lot of people predict they have a good chance of winning the championship this year."
Jimmy Butler laughed when he heard that. "You mean hitching my wagon to a star? No, no. If I have to take a shortcut to win a championship, I'd rather not win one at all."
Another reporter said, "You're already 42, and you've done so much for your team. If, at the end of your career, you went to a team with a real shot at the title for a championship ring, for the dream you've always had, I don't think anyone would criticize you. Even your fans want you to join a more competitive team. Everyone hopes you'll win a ring before you retire, no matter how you do it."
Jimmy Butler shook his head again, his Little Dreadlocks swaying with it.
"That's not my style."
That was Jimmy Butler, the toughest man in the world.
Even as he neared retirement, he was still the toughest man in the world.
After the press conference, though, many people wondered whether the Heat would re-sign Jimmy Butler in the offseason.
Jimmy Butler might have been the Heat's team soul, but General Manager Pat Riley wasn't going to treat him like one.
Whatever kind of soul you were, if you no longer had value on the court, he'd discard you without mercy.
Wade was a prime example.
Wade had once done the Heat a world