David West mourns Butler
David West was walking into the Warriors’ practice facility Wednesday morning when a friend called to give him tragic news: Longtime NBA swingman Rasual Butler, West’s close friend and former teammate, had been killed with his wife in a single-vehicle crash in Los Angeles.
“I just did an immediate Uturn, got out of here,” West said. “It was just devastating.”
Butler and his wife, R&B singer Leah LaBelle Vladowski, were pronounced dead at the scene at 2:35 a.m. Wednesday after their Range Rover struck parking meters and a wall and rolled into a parking lot in L.A.’s Studio City neighborhood, according to the coroner’s office. Butler was 38; Vladowski was 31.
During an NBA career that spanned 13 years and eight teams, Butler built a reputation as the consummate professional. He stayed late at practice, mentored younger players and remained positive during the grind of an 82-game season.
“His spirit was great,” said Kevin Durant, who got to know Butler through offseason pickup games in Los Angeles. “His enthusiasm about the game at that age was kid-like.”
Added Shaun Livingston: “He was a good player. He was known for his work ethic, getting the most out of his talents, but above that, the type of person he was, him and his wife, Leah. … Knowing the kind of person he was, that’s going to be his legacy. How he treated people, what kind of guy he was.”
West stayed close with Butler, who played with him in New Orleans (2005-09), Indiana (2013-14) and San Antonio (201516), after Butler retired from the league in 2016. Butler often texted West words of encouragement.
Early last season, after seeing West was a bit uncomfortable in his first few games with Golden State, Butler called to remind him to “tighten up.” When the Warriors won an NBA title in June, West invited Butler and Vladowski to ride with him in the championship parade.
“He was just my guy,” said West, who plans to attend Butler’s memorial service. “He was in my ear about the whole Finals. He just wanted to be a part of it, and I wanted him to be a part of it. (He) came up, and we had a good time.” LeBron reaction: Late Wednesday night, when an ESPN report surfaced that LeBron James would consider meeting with the Warriors if a max salary was available, Durant had a simple reaction.
“Bull—,” Durant said of his response. “Bull—.”
After practice Thursday, several Golden State players poked fun at the notion of James — the unquestioned leader of the team that has faced the Warriors in the past three NBA Finals — joining them. The financial particulars alone would make such a development tricky, at best.
The Warriors, who have roughly a league-high $135 million tied in payroll, probably would need to orchestrate a sign-and-trade to land James. According to ESPN, Golden State could make Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala the centerpieces of an offer that would match salary and entice the Cavaliers into making a trade.
Golden State likely isn’t willing to overhaul its roster, even for arguably the best player in the world. It boasts four AllStars in their prime, and it is well-positioned to chase its third NBA title in four years. James, at 33, could demand to be the face of the franchise, a big ask with Stephen Curry still on the team.
“It’s not interesting because you turn on TV, you turn on anything that has to do with basketball, there’s less about the game,” Durant said. “As a pure basketball player, as a pure fan of the game, at this point, it’s pretty sickening.” Curry honored: Curry has been named the Western Conference Player of the Month for January, the NBA announced Thursday.
In helping lead Golden State to an 11-3 record, Curry averaged a league-high 29.5 points on 51.4 percent shooting from the field and 46.3 percent shooting from three-point range, 5.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 34.3 minutes in 12 games.