The National Basketball Players Association says the Miami Heat's seven-game suspension of Jimmy Butler is "excessive and inappropriate," and the union intends to challenge it via a grievance. The grievance will raise dueling arguments about the ability of a team to suspend a player who has played at a high level but whose public comments indicate he

MIAMI — Jimmy Butler was Miami's best player for five years, the leader of a team that went to the NBA Finals twice in his tenure. He talked big and, at times, played bigger. He spoke with reverence for the city, for the franchise, for the famed “Heat Culture.”

Longtime NBA guard Austin Rivers didn’t have trades or drama in mind when he learned the Miami Heat suspended Jimmy Butler. All Rivers could think about was his