LeBron James in splits over Kevin Love's playful jab at Jimmy Butler's comeback on Heat post 2nd suspension

Miami Heat forward Kevin Love turned Jimmy Butler's return into a meme that has even LeBron James laughing out loud. Butler is set to join Miami's lineup against the Orlando Magic on Monday following his second suspension of the season.

In anticipation of Butler's return, Love posted a clip from the 1995 movie "Casino" that starred Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro. Specifically, it was the scene where Pesci's character, Nicky, confronted De Niro's character, Sam, in the desert.

In addition to posting the clip, Love added a caption that said it would be how Butler would pull up to him upon his return.

Love's post garnered several reactions, including one from former Miami Heat star LeBron James. James' comment was just a series of "roll-on-the-floor-laughing" emojis.

LeBron James' comment on Kevin Love's post (Photo credits: kevinlove/Instagram)

Jimmy Butler has been suspended for nine games this season.

His first suspension was for seven games spanning Jan. 4 to Jan. 15. During this period, the Miami Heat went 3-4.

Butler played in only three games before being suspended again, this time for two games. He was unavailable for Thursday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks and Saturday's contest against the Brooklyn Nets. The Heat lost to the Bucks before defeating the Nets.

The first time that Butler was suspended, it was for "conduct detrimental to the team." The Heat announced with his second suspension that they were suspending him for a "continued pattern of disregard of team rules, insubordinate conduct and conduct detrimental to the team."

The announcement also said that Butler missed the team's flight to Milwaukee.

The Heat appear to be looking for a trade partner for Butler ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline with the Phoenix Suns emerging as the frontrunners to land him.

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Pat Riley said that LeBron James did the right thing when he left the Miami Heat

LeBron James caused a massive shift in the NBA landscape when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers during the summer of 2010. He later announced that he was joining the Miami Heat to form a star-studded trio with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

The decision led to a run of dominance for James and the Heat, as they made the NBA Finals every year he was there. This also included consecutive title runs in 2012 and 2013.

Despite experiencing team success, LeBron James' run with the Heat lasted only four seasons. Following their defeat to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 NBA Finals, James returned to Cleveland, where he teamed up with Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.

In the book "The Soul of Basketball" by Ian Thomsen published in 2018, Heat president Pat Riley talked about his feelings regarding James' departure from Miami.

While Riley was unhappy with the decision initially, he later came to understand its significance.

LeBron James went on to win one championship with the Cavs in 2016 by beating the 73-9 Golden State Warriors squad. He also won another title in 2020 with the LA Lakers.