By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly Staff 
The Philadelphia 76ers have been without Jimmy Butler for the past few games, but that hasn't kept the four-time All-Star out of the headlines. On Janaury 4, a report surfaced from ESPN that Butler was challenging head coach Brett Brown and the Sixers' offensive system. Prior to Saturday's win against the Mavericks, Brown spoke to the media for the first time about it, downplaying the verbal exchange between him and Butler and assuring everyone that it was nothing to worry about at all. Players echoed that sentiment after the win.
On Monday, Butler spoke for the first time since the ESPN report came out and here's a few clips of his comments. Shoutout to Dave Uram of KYW 1060 for getting video of Butler's practice media session:
On whether he is disappointed in having to answer questions about his demeanor again…
No, not at all. I think everybody views everything from a different perspective. Just because I speak my mind and it's what I feel to be the truth…if I'm wrong, anyone can correct me. I'm just trying to help win, man. I don't know if you want me to say please every remark or not have my voice as deep, but I'm telling you all that I'm doing is speaking the game of basketball. It'd be different if I was going at somebody saying cuss words, making it personal and this and that and making demands, but that's not what I'm doing. I'm just trying to hoop.
On the specific discussion noted in the report…
I'm not gonna say who say what, that's not what I'm here for. I think a lot of people spoke up about a lot of different things and how they feel comfortable in the game on both ends of the floor. I think everyone's basing everything on offense. I think we could be a much better defensive team as well, so as much as everyone is saying 'oh, he's challenging my offense', I would say that I speak out more on defense than anything.
On whether the reported film session verbal exchange was about wanting more pick & rolls…
No. It was not. I think what the whole thing was was…I would say that with me being here, a lot of things are different. A lot of things that you used to run when the other personnel was here…I'm a different player than RoCo and Dario. That's all I was saying and then other guys had something else to say…but, I think all in the end, it was a positive thing because everybody got what they needed to say out.
If conversations with him and Brown are healthy, why would something like this come out?
I don't know. If you were sitting in there, you may have a different look on anything the next guy may have. So, because nobody's been around me that much…the way that we talk about something may not be the way you talk about it. But I'm not going to say that anybody's confrontational. I think, for the most part honestly, I did a lot of the talking because I feel like I'm a vocal person, especially in how much i study film and how much I study the game. I think that's what it may be, like…he would talk, I would talk, he would talk, I would talk. If you were in there, you may see it a different way as well.
On acclimating to the offense…
So far, so good with winning, man. That's all I ever want to do. We're sitting here figuring a lot of stuff out still a month and half, two months in. I think I'm gonna be just fine. I've been playing this game long enough to know that whenever the time comes, I'll always be who I am at the end of the day…and to tell you the truth, that's all I worry about, man. Basketball's only part of it. I think the mental part of it is a lot more than what goes on on the court.
On liking that he can have discussions with Brett Brown, even when opinion isn't asked…
I think coaches ask everybody that, not just me. I'm pretty sure a lot of the times too, though, if he didn't ask me…I would still tell him what I see just because I'm out there for an average of 33 minutes or something like that, so I think you see the game differently being a coach and being a player and all the schemes that people throw at you, so it's great to know that you can go and talk to coach about what you see in the game.
On if Philadelphia is a place he could see himself long-term…
Yeah, I could see it. I'm happy here right now, man, I can tell you that, but winning takes care of everything. The second that we drop a couple in a row, ya'll will be in here like some vultures trying to pick at whatever it is ya'll gonna pick at…but I think right now, as long as we keep winning…everybody's happy.
Butler was not listed on Monday's injury report, so all signs point to him returning on Tuesday following a brief absence due to an upper respiratory infection.
