Jimmy Butler: 'I'm not an asshole that everybody thinks that I am'

Free-agent signing Jimmy Butler told Miami Heat fans and media Friday that he's not the disruptive team presence he's been made out to be.

"There's a lot of stuff that's out there, it's just how deep you want to read into it," Butler said at his introductory press conference. "I don't think I'm that bad of a guy. I'm not an asshole like everybody thinks that I am."

Butler does carry some baggage around the NBA after forcing a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves last season and then going through some internal drama with the Philadelphia 76ers. He said he chose Miami because of the team's strong culture, and that he was encouraged by friend and retired Heat star Dwyane Wade to come aboard.

"When I keep hearing about this culture, I was like, 'I need that in my life,'" Butler said. "No. 3 (Wade) was like, 'This culture fits you.' He told ... me that for so many days beforehand. I never want to compare myself to him, but I think that what they have going on here, the way they go about everything here is the right way."

Among other things, the Heat are widely considered to have one of the most rigorous physical training programs in the NBA.

Not long after Butler chose to sign with Miami in June, an old magazine item surfaced in which Butler, then a member of the Chicago Bulls, said he'd never wear a Heat jersey. On Friday, he explained that mentality.

"(Former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau) instilled it in us," Butler said. "We hated you guys, we definitely did. And that's how I want it to be when I'm around here. I want other teams to hate us."