NBA legend Scottie Pippen isn't impressed with Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler or modern NBA superstars in the player empowerment era.

In his current standoff with the Heat front office ( read: Pat Riley ), Miami attempted to avoid the “burn everything down” portion by suspending Butler seven games for conduct detrimental to the team ( read: attempting to force a trade ).

Jimmy Butler's seven-game suspension came to an end Friday night as the star forward returned to action with the Miami Heat, who were promptly smoked by the visiting Denver Nuggets, 133-113.

Jimmy Butler returned from his seven game suspension in the Miami Heat’s 133-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday at the Kaseya Center.

Jimmy Butler walked out of the Miami Heat locker room on Friday night wearing a Michael Jordan jersey. It wasn’t a No. 23 jersey.

There was no pretense of Butler being a vibrant part of the Heat for Friday’s game. He shot by himself in warmups. There was none of the choreographed palm-slapping with teammates that’s a typical part of any pregame. Kevin Love did run out to him just before the center-tap and shake hands. It looked like the first time they’d seen each other.

Butler met with Heat president Pat Riley last week, and then met with Heat owner Micky Arison and chief executive officer Nick Arison on Thursday, according to league sources. Through it all, Butler has remained adamant about his desire to be traded.

The Phoenix Suns are rumored to be one team interested in Butler, but that involves the Heat taking Bradley Beal and the two seasons and $110.7 million remaining on Beal’s contract. Plus, Beal has a no-trade clause in his contract. The Suns would be willing to give Butler another financially significant contract.

Sunday's seven-game slate requires some sifting to identify the best team and player matchups worthy of our attention. Right away, you'll notice three games have spreads of at least 11.5 points, suggesting blowouts could be part of a larger theme today if the actual outcomes align.

The Spurs are currently 7-11 on the road with a point differential of -1, while the Heat have a 6-4 record in their last ten games at home.

The Miami Heat, still in the middle of a Jimmy Butler controversy, are set to host the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday afternoon.