If Pat Riley is going to successfully emerge from the mess he and his team find themselves in, the Miami Heat president will have to take the most difficult advice of his career: His own. For at least the third time in just over a decade,

Butler was said to be “caught off guard” by the comments according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. There have been many events that have led to the fractured relationship between Butler and the Heat with the one mentioned by Haynes being when the team questioned the effort level.

Pat Riley and Jimmy Butler have apparently not been on the same page for a long time. On Tuesday, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that the Miami Heat president and his All-Star player have been at odds since the summer.

Miami Heat star Tyler Herro explains how president Pat Riley's criticism helped him become a better player unlike Jimmy Butler.

On his latest podcast, Dwyane Wade gives his true thoughts on the Heat and Jimmy Butler situation.

"I understand this generation of players and how they want to go about living their life," Riley said. "It's different in the music they listen to and how they brand themselves and what they wear and how they dress.

Over the past three weeks, the biggest saga in the NBA has been between Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. As we inch closer to the trade deadline, the disconnect between player and organization continues to grow.

A significant number of former NBA players have sided with Miami Heat superstar Jimmy Butler during his feud with president Pat Riley. Longtime Memphis Grizzlie

Disgruntled Heat star Jimmy Butler reiterated to team president Pat Riley in a face-to-face meeting last week that he wants to be traded, league sources told ESPN.