Renowned Kentucky head coach John Calipari has chimed in on the whole Karl-Anthony Towns versus Jimmy Butler feud that was reportedly one of the main reasons why the latter forced his way out of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
According to Calipari, who coached Towns during the 7-footer's time in Kentucky, the dispute between these two former teammates had an adverse effect on Towns and his game:
“You wait,” Calipari told Jackie MacMullan of ESPN. “Karl's game is going to take off. He can be himself again.
“I bet that environment was so uncomfortable for him. First of all, he and Jimmy are totally different people — how they were brought up, their likes and dislikes, how they approach competition. You have one guy on this side and one guy on the other side.
“There was a dogfight, and Karl's not one to get into that. So, he stepped back.”
John Calipari appears to have firsthand knowledge on the situation, and practically just confirmed the rumors involving unfavorable working relationship between Karl-Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler. As it turns out, it was Towns who took the high road by refusing to fight back.
The 59-year-old champion coach even went as far as labeling Butler as a bully, all while depicting Towns as a victim:
“Things happen. There are power struggles all the time in [the NBA],” Calipari said. “If a guy can bully you, he will bully you. And that's what Jimmy did to Karl. C'mon, that's the league.”
We're not sure what kind of effect this will have on Karl-Anthony Towns' image moving forward. If this is true, then it seems that the rumors might have been accurate — that Towns lacked a certain fight in him — one glaring fault that Butler found unacceptable for a teammate.
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