Butler responds to John Calipari's 'bully' comments

Former Minnesota Timberwolves star Jimmy Butler didn't take kindly to Kentucky head coach John Calipari telling ESPN's Jackie MacMullen in late-November that the guard bullied ex-Wildcat Karl-Anthony Towns.

On Tuesday, Butler responded to the criticism after his Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Timberwolves.

"I don't think bully is a good word," Butler told MacMullen. "I tell it how it is. Whenever I was in college, I had (Marquette coach) Buzz Williams to tell me how it was. I didn't have a bunch of McDonald's All-Americans like (Calipari) has. So, he can look at it a different way."

Butler didn't stop there, as he said he'll "confront" Calipari should they meet.

"If I'm a bully, I'm gonna bully him, too. I'll tell him how I feel, just like I'd tell anyone else," Butler said. "I don't care if he's some big head coach. I'm not bullying nobody. I'm just keeping it real. Some of these guys aren't used to it. When you have as much talent as (Towns) has had throughout his life, guys don't keep it real with him. I do."

The 76ers blew out the Timberwolves 149-107 on Tuesday in their first meeting since the blockbuster deal. Butler scored 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting while Towns managed just 13 points and was a team-worst minus-42 on the night.

Butler is averaging 19 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per contest since being traded to the Sixers. Meanwhile, Towns has become the focal point of the T-Wolves' offense, averaging 23.2 points, 13 boards, and 1.9 blocks per contest during that same span.