NBA legend Scottie Pippen isn't impressed with Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler or modern NBA superstars in the player empowerment era.

Q: Ira, there could have been some rust, but most people seem to think Jimmy Butler didn’t give full effort Friday. Which is better for the Heat: Having someone with Jimmy’s talent playing half-hearted?

In his current standoff with the Heat front office ( read: Pat Riley ), Miami attempted to avoid the “burn everything down” portion by suspending Butler seven games for conduct detrimental to the team ( read: attempting to force a trade ).

Jimmy Butler's seven-game suspension came to an end Friday night as the star forward returned to action with the Miami Heat, who were promptly smoked by the visiting Denver Nuggets, 133-113.

There was no pretense of Butler being a vibrant part of the Heat for Friday’s game. He shot by himself in warmups. There was none of the choreographed palm-slapping with teammates that’s a typical part of any pregame. Kevin Love did run out to him just before the center-tap and shake hands. It looked like the first time they’d seen each other.

Jimmy Butler returned from his seven game suspension in the Miami Heat’s 133-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday at the Kaseya Center.

Butler met with Heat president Pat Riley last week, and then met with Heat owner Micky Arison and chief executive officer Nick Arison on Thursday, according to league sources. Through it all, Butler has remained adamant about his desire to be traded.

Jimmy Butler has returned. On Friday night, Butler will be coming back from a seven-game suspension that occurred shortly after he indicated that he wanted

Jimmy Butler could be back in the Miami Heat's starting lineup two weeks after the team announced they plan to listen to trade offers for him. Butler

Jimmy Butler reportedly ‘hasn’t even really started’ creating drama with the Heat, so let’s rank his funniest trade demand escalation options.

Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler was back on the court Friday night for the first time since he was handed a seven-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the