Manajemen Golden State Warriors Tunggu Kesembuhan Cedera Jimmy Butler

Manajemen Golden State Warriors menegaskan komitmen untuk menunggu proses pemulihan cedera lutut parah yang dialami pemain sayap mereka, Jimmy Butler, demi memperkuat kembali stabilitas skuad menjelang musim kompetisi baru.

Langkah tersebut diambil di tengah munculnya desakan dari pengamat NBA agar klub segera melakukan langkah agresif lewat perdagangan pemain demi memaksimalkan sisa masa jaya bintang utama mereka, Stephen Curry.

General Manager Warriors, Mike Dunleavy Jr., menyatakan pihak manajemen tetap optimistis terhadap kontribusi sang pemain meskipun klub belum menetapkan jadwal pasti mengenai waktu kembalinya Butler ke lapangan pertandingan.

"I do think when Jimmy returns, depending on his load that he can carry the amount of minutes, I do think he'll be a very good player based on the way he plays," ujar Mike Dunleavy Jr., General Manager Golden State Warriors kepada NBC Sports Bay Area.

Pihak manajemen menilai bahwa faktor usia senior Butler yang telah menginjak 36 tahun justru menjadi keuntungan tersendiri karena sang pemain dinilai lebih mampu beradaptasi dengan keterbatasan kondisi fisiknya pascacedera.

"The two best things about him are his mind and his physicality, and you don't lose that with a hurt knee," kata Mike Dunleavy Jr.

Sebelum mengalami robek ACL pada lutut kanannya saat bertanding melawan Miami Heat, Butler menorehkan statistik impresif berupa rata-rata 20,0 poin, 5,6 rebound, dan 4,9 assist per pertandingan.

"He's adjusted well as he's aged already on the athleticism front, and I think that'll be no different," tutur Mike Dunleavy Jr.

Proses pemulihan intensif yang dijalani Butler diperkirakan memakan waktu hingga satu tahun penuh sejak operasi dilakukan oleh tim medis.

"It's just, we got to get him back when we can," ucap Mike Dunleavy Jr.

Di sisi lain, kestabilan skuad Warriors dipastikan mendapat tambahan amunisi setelah Al Horford menyepakati kontrak baru berdurasi dua tahun senilai 14 juta dolar AS.

"If the group is healthy, if we're together, I feel like we're going to compete," kata Al Horford, Pemain Golden State Warriors.

Horford menilai komposisi skuad saat ini tetap memiliki daya saing tinggi asalkan seluruh pemain pilar berada dalam kondisi fisik yang sepenuhnya bugar.

"I don't want to think too much ahead, but once we're able to get Jimmy and [Moses Moody] back ... we have a very competitive group and we're going to do the best that we can," ujar Al Horford.

Sementara itu, Butler menyatakan keyakinannya pada kekuatan tim asalkan didukung oleh kehadiran Stephen Curry di dalam lapangan.

"If we're healthy, we're tough," kata Jimmy Butler, Pemain Golden State Warriors.

Pemain yang telah enam kali masuk dalam skuad All-Star tersebut juga tetap merasa optimistis mengenai peluang persaingan tim di papan atas.

"We've just got to be healthy. … As long as we've got Steph, we always have a chance," ujar Jimmy Butler.

Dalam sesi wawancara terpisah dengan Anthony Slater dari ESPN, Butler menegaskan kondisi mentalnya tidak terganggu oleh cedera parah tersebut.

"I'm right back to who I've always been," tutur Jimmy Butler.

Meskipun kontraknya yang bernilai 56,8 juta dolar AS kerap memicu rumor perdagangan pemain, Butler menegaskan komitmennya untuk mengakhiri karier di Bay Area.

"Probably better if we was to really talk about it. I know I'm still going to be a top player whenever I get back. I have a couple good years left in me, and we're going to ride it until the wheels fall off," ucap Jimmy Butler.

Fasilitas organisasi dan kesempatan bermain bersama salah satu pemain terbaik dalam sejarah bola basket menjadi alasan utama baginya untuk menetap di klub tersebut.

"End is a bad word, but this is where I want to be done," kata Jimmy Butler.

Butler menutup pernyataannya dengan menegaskan bahwa dirinya bertekad membawa organisasi tim kembali ke puncak kejayaan tertinggi di NBA.

"Retire here. This organization is top-tier. It's the best.

Keep it a buck. It's the best. You're playing with one of the greatest players ever.

I'm grateful to be able to witness this. I want to be able to do my part, get this organization back on top where we belong," ujar Jimmy Butler.

Namun, situasi internal tim ini mendapat sorotan tajam dari mantan juara NBA dan analis ESPN, Kendrick Perkins, yang mendesak manajemen Warriors untuk segera bergerak di bursa transfer.

Perkins menyarankan agar Mike Dunleavy Jr. mengalihkan fokus untuk mengejar bintang Boston Celtics, Jaylen Brown, mengingat lima dari 25 pemain tertua di NBA saat ini berada di skuad Golden State.

"You go out, you make a move, it may not be the perfect piece, but you add Jaylen Brown to this roster," ujar Kendrick Perkins dalam acara First Take.

Perkins meragukan kemampuan Butler untuk kembali menjadi bintang kedua yang mendampingi Curry setelah mengalami cedera lutut yang signifikan di fase akhir kariernya.

"We don't know when Jimmy Butler is going to come back, and when he does, we don't know what he's going to look like. That's why you go get a young 29-year-old Jaylen Brown, who is playing at his highest level right now," kata Kendrick Perkins.

Meskipun mengakui lini pertahanan klub masih kokoh berkat Draymond Green, Perkins menilai manajemen Warriors harus segera menghubungi pihak Celtics guna mengamankan masa depan tim.

"Jimmy Butler -- I don't know if he's still that dude at this stage of his career," kata Kendrick Perkins.

Hingga saat ini, Jaylen Brown masih terikat kontrak supermax jangka panjang bersama Boston Celtics hingga musim kompetisi 2028-2029.

"If I'm Mike Dunleavy, if I'm [owner] Joe Lacob, I'm definitely picking up the phone and calling Brad Stevens and saying, 'What the hell do I need to do to get Jaylen Brown over here?' Because also you get Jaylen Brown for now and the near future, after Steph Curry," ucap Kendrick Perkins.