Jimmy Butler out for 3-6 weeks
By Ryan Ratty
An elbow injury will keep Jimmy Butler out for 3-6 weeks.
Less than a week after star point guard Derrick Rose re-injured his surgically-repaired meniscus, the Chicago Bulls lost another one of the superstars.
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In 2014, Jimmy Butler burst on the scene, establishing himself as one of the best players in the NBA.
Butler has been a shutdown defender for Tom Thibodeau’s defense over the past few years, but he has developed an offensive game this season which has helped him emerge as one of the best 2-guards in basketball.
However, Butler will miss time because of an elbow injury suffered on Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Butler could miss up to four weeks with an elbow sprain. However, the good news is that he won’t need surgery.
Chicago's Jimmy Butler could miss 3-4 weeks with elbow sprain, but won't need surgery, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 2, 2015
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune would also say that this injury will affect the Bulls mainly because of how much he means to this basketball team. Butler is not only the team’s leading scorer and the best perimeter defender, he leads the league in minutes, which is something Luol Deng did a couple of seasons ago for the Bulls when he played the role Butler plays in now.
Huge blow for Bulls on top of Rose injury. Butler is leading scorer, best defender and leads NBA in minutes.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) March 2, 2015
Considering the Bulls lead the streaking Cleveland Cavaliers by just half a game in the Central Division, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Chicago finishes second in the division.
In fact, if the Milwaukee Bucks keep up their play, the Bulls, who are now without three of their best players in Rose, Butler, and Taj Gibson, could fall two spots in the division. The good news is that if the Bulls can hold down the front until the playoffs, they will still have three of their stars back in time for the postseason.
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