"Trying to recoup suspension money for Jimmy" - Jimmy Butler's teammate continues trolling Heat saga with 'Superbad' meme

As far as the Miami Heat front office is concerned, the Jimmy Butler situation is no laughing matter. Weeks of trade speculation took an especially sour turn when Butler told the media on Jan. 2 that he'd lost his "joy," prompting team officials to suspend him for seven games.

It's a different story for Heat center Kevin Love. The 17-year veteran has seen all sorts of episodes concerning disgruntled stars in the NBA, including himself. On Friday, Love decided to poke fun at the fiasco with a movie clip posted on Instagram:

The clip is lifted from the 2007 teen comedy film "Superbad." In this scene, a motorist hands seven dollars to a teenage boy named Seth (played by Jonah Hill), whom he'd accidentally hit with his car. Seth bemoans the modest amount handed over by the driver to prevent him from telling the cops about the incident.

It was with this context that Love delivered his punchline, which he wrote in the post's caption:

"Me trying to recoup the suspension money for Jimmy & Bernie on my Vet Minimum contract... #poweroffriendship."

For some reason, Love decided to throw in the name of the Heat's official mascot (Burnie, misspelled as Bernie). While there are no official announcements on a Burnie suspension, the tension surrounding the Butler situation is all too genuine.

Former Heat player refuses to answer question about Jimmy Butler on national TV

Over the past several weeks, Butler has generated all sorts of emotions among fans and analysts: disappointment, ardent support, rage, the list goes on. One former Heat player decided to simply keep his mouth shut on the matter.

On the Jan. 16 episode of "NBA Today," ESPN analyst Udonis Haslem — who played 20 seasons with the Miami Heat and now serves as the team's VP of basketball development — was asked by Malika Andrews about how he thinks the tense situation "will play out." Haslem went on to do the televised version of a Euro step:

"If you think I'm touching that conversation, you got a better chance of wrestling an alligator," said Haslem, drawing laughter from the "NBA Today" panelists. "That is above my pay grade. I don't want none of that smoke. Let Riles [Pat Riley] figure it out." [Timestamp - 2:12]

On the professional level, Haslem is clearly deferring to Heat President Pat Riley on the matter. On the a personal level, the former Heat forward clearly does not want to incur the displeasure of his longtime mentor figure.

When a final decision on Butler's fate does get reached, Haslem will perhaps breathe a sigh of relief as he can finally speak publicly on the matter.