Miami Heat Veteran Celebrates Jimmy Butler’s Impending Return

Feb 27, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) talks with forward Kevin Love (42) during a break in action in the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Feb 27, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) talks with forward Kevin Love (42) during a break in action in the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Count Miami Heat forward Kevin Love among those excited to see Jimmy Butler hit the court Friday night.

Love celebrated Butler’s impending return with an Instagram post Thursday. The veteran big man shared an infamous scene from The Wolf of Wall Street where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character expresses he’s “not f----g leaving.”

“LIVE LOOK - Jimmy after his meeting with Micky,” Love wrote, adding a #getmyjoyback caption.

“Micky” refers to Heat owner Micky Arison, who reportedly planned to meet with Butler before Friday’s game against the Nuggets.

The Heat suspended Butler two weeks ago for conduct detrimental to the team; he requested a trade Jan. 2. He remained in Miami during the Heat’s West Coast road trip and worked out at team facilities. 

It is unclear how much Butler will play Friday night. He’s played only 59 total minutes across three games since Dec. 20.

It’s also unclear how the Kayesa Center crowd will react to Butler’s presence. At least he knows Love still has his back. 

HEAT BRINGING BACK VICE UNIFORMS

Butler isn’t the only impending returner for the Miami Heat.

The Heat announced Thursday they’ll begin wearing their popular Vice uniforms again, beginning Friday night.

These are the Original Vice jerseys the team first wore in 2018, a year before Butler arrived via trade.

The white Vice uniform replaces the Heat’s traditional white Association look. 

“This ain’t a dream - we’re ready to rock the #TheOriginalVice,” the Heat’s official X (formerly Twitter) account posted.

Butler is expected to return Friday night following his seven-game suspension. The Heat featured a Vice version of Butler’s jersey on their website Thursday morning.

REDICK OFFERS LOFTY PRAISE FOR HERRO

Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick likes what he sees from Heat point guard Tyler Herro.

In fact, Redick acknowledged teams need to gameplan around Herro the way they do for an NBA great.

“You gotta treat this guy like Steph Curry,” Redick said after the Lakers’ 117-108 victory over the Heat. “That’s the way he’s playing right now.”

Comparing any player to Curry, one of the greatest sharpshooters in league history, warrants serious examination. However, Herro has certainly earned that degree of praise in his best season yet. 

Herro scored a game-high 34 points on 12 of 18 shooting Wednesday night. He added four rebounds, three assists, and a steal. 

When it comes to modeling Curry, Herro drilled seven of his 12 three-pointers. Only Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards, who has made 167 threes this season, has more than Herro’s 156.

“Just trying to take what the defense gives me,” Herro told reporters Wednesday. “Open shots; they overreact to different things, and I just take advantage of what they give me.”

Good news for Redick: he won’t need to see Herro again this season unless the Lakers and Heat miraculously face off in the NBA Finals.

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Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at jakeelman97@gmail.com or follow him on X @JakeElman97.


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Jake Elman
JAKE ELMAN

Jake Elman is a veteran sports journalist and graduate of Florida Atlantic University’s journalism program. In recent years, he has covered the NFL for EndGame360 and served as the sports content lead for ExpressVPN. He also covered the Lane Kiffin years at FAU for the Palm Beach Post.