""I f---ing love him," Butler told ESPN. "I know he has fans, but I'm his No. 1. Because he got all the tools to be great. Somebody just needs to show him how to utilize these tools." Kuminga had called Butler to break the news that negotiations with the Warriors remained stalled. A contentious restricted free agency was bleeding toward training camp. He wouldn't be in San Diego. His relationship with the franchise was too shaky and uncertain."
""I think he's ready," Kerr said. "The way he's rebounding, the way he's attacking the rim, that's what makes him special. When he's playing to that talent, to that ability, it changes our team." But turbulence is always around the corner. The Warriors lost five of their next seven. Kuminga's turnovers spiked and performance dipped. Searching for rotation answers, Kerr demoted Kuminga back to a bench role, reopening old wounds."
Jimmy Butler organized a player-led gathering in San Diego and planned individual work with Jonathan Kuminga, expressing strong personal belief in Kuminga's talent. Kuminga informed Butler that restricted free-agency negotiations with the Warriors remained stalled and that his relationship with the franchise was too shaky for him to attend. Kuminga produced early-season flashes that helped the team start 4-1 and earned a public starting role from coach Steve Kerr. A subsequent slump saw turnovers spike and performance dip, prompting Kerr to move Kuminga back to the bench and leaving him feeling like a scapegoat.
Read at ESPN.com
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