What if your mother told you, ‘I don’t like the look of you.  You gotta go.’  What would you say? What could you say?

What if she told you this when you were just 13 years old?
Maybe you’d go to your dad, get his support, learn why she’s suddenly turned her back on you.  But, what if your father acted much like your mother, but instead felt the same years before and left when you were just an infant?  What would you do then?

How does anyone stay on the right path to success when their parents give up on them so young?

He doesn’t like to discuss it much, but these events have led Jimmy Butler to overcome odds of all sorts and have willed him to a successful and productive second season for the Chicago Bulls; one that might secure his place in the N.B.A. and, hopefully, with the Bulls.

Although barely used and hardly noticed in his first season, Butler has emerged as not only a reliable player off the bench, but as a starter as well, filling in recently for Luol Deng, who was out briefly with a hamstring injury.  While Butler isn’t flashy, he is truly a complete player, and one who is constantly showing signs of improvement (so far in his brief 2-year career, he’s averaging 5 points a game.  The last ten games he’s averaged 14.6).

The praises are even coming in from Coach Tom Thibodeau (below), a man of very few (encouraging) words:  ‘….he’s a big part of this team…..he can guard, he can score, play multiple positions, make hustle plays.  He’s doing a lot for us.”

I’ve come to love Jimmy Butler.  There’s no bullshit to him; he’s young, unselfish, devoid of any stupid and distracting tattoos that plagues much of professional sports/entertainment, is known to have a strong work ethic, and is still hungry to prove something.  He may have secured his place in the league, but I have a feeling Jimmy Butler is bound to do much more than just stick around.

After not getting selected to the 2013 Rising Stars Challenge game (where the best rookies and second-year players play against each other), this is what he had to say:  ‘‘Kudos to those guys because they’re great players, and they’re really talented, but I love this team, and I want to play alongside these guys. I’ll do whatever it takes for this team to win. I’m a competitor, and I would have competed in that game, of course, but I’m a Bulls player, to tell you the truth.’’

There are many players who are still waiting for their opportunity to prove their worth, and sometimes it comes with time, but it also happens when a starter like Deng gets injured.  Either way, it’s up to the player to make the most of it.  Jimmy has been rising to the occasion since he was a child; earning big time minutes in the N.B.A. is merely just another step in this young man’s life.

Daaaaaaaaaaaaa Bulls.

(here’s a video of Jimmy discussing his upbringing, right before he was selected by the Chicago Bulls in 2011)

For Christmas I got Joe court-side tickets to see The Bulls play in NJ. This Christmas was one of the hardest for me, financially.  I actually just went ahead and spent my entire paycheck on these tickets because I just knew Joe deserved this (and rent will just have to figure itself out, right?) SO I bought the tickets.  In a frenzy, I found seats that were directly behind the hoop on stubhub.  I called Joe’s dad to see if they were worth the price, had an anxiety attack and then went ahead and purchased!

We had already decided on minimal presents for each other so I was so excited to give this semi-big time present to him.  I grabbed a few less-read books from our shelf, wrapped them up and gave them to Joe Christmas morning at his parent’s house.  He opened them with hesitance, knowing he already owned all of these books!  I played dumb — “Do you like them?? I thought you might like that one!”  Found out later he felt so bad because my gifts were so lame.   The final gift was a folder with the printed tickets, the seating chart and the virtual view we’d have from our seats.  Needless to say, Joe was excited.  Will I erase his manliness to say he might have shed a tear? He really loves the Bulls.

The game was the week after Christmas.  I met him after work, we went to Jersey & had fun.  I’ve never been that close to NBA players, they are huge.  I am a tall girl too, but WHOA.  Noah was out on injury (he is my fave) and I realized halfway through that Kim Kardashian’s fiancee, Kris Humphries was on the Nets, but Kim wasn’t there.

Seeing that we bought the tickets off a Nets season ticket holder, we were surrounded by sort of violent Nets fans who were obviously a bit threatened by the Bulls.  They talked a bit of shit, the mascot messed with us (almost got Joe ejected – pics below) and  we got to see the behind the scenes of the cheerleaders, long-time fans and lots of $10 beers.
I went shutter crazy, check it out-

Notice Joe’s arms physically moving the mascot away from him? It was a close game and in the final seconds the “Sly Fox” blocked our view completely, I love Joe’s temper at times like this because he just was not having it.  Also, if you know anything about NBA ball, you know Derrick Rose is incredibly hard on himself, can you notice his defeat in these pictures as the game moves forward?  I love the intensity in all their faces.   Also, the old man in one of the pictures was hilarious and seemed to be a staple at all games.  He was crazy enthusiastic and his wife just smiled him on the entire time.  I cut my Bulls shirt before the game so it looked cuter, and wore Joe’s childhood necklace! so cute.   I was never into basketball, but I really love it now.